Srinagar : Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday expressed his gratitude to the farming community for their immense contributions towards ensuring food security of the nation.
The LG was speaking at the ‘Kisan Maha Sammelan’ and felicitated innovative, technically empowered farmers for their contribution to agriculture and horticulture sector, today at SKICC, Srinagar.
The Lt Governor expressed his gratitude to the farming community for their immense contribution towards ensuring food security of J&K and the rest of the nation.
The Lt Governor enlisted various innovative measures and policy decisions taken by the government to increase the income of the farmers and encouraged youth to adopt agriculture as a medium of employment.
Over the past two years, the government has shifted to the improved farming system on scientific lines and market-oriented policies in order to make agriculture and allied sector a sustainable & profitable economic activity, said the Lt Governor.
“In spite of rapid urbanization, nearly 70 percent population’s livelihood is dependent on agriculture and it is the key to remove developmental imbalances between urban and rural areas. To some extent, this goal has been realized”, the Lt Governor added.
“Braving all the challenges of agricultural reform, our ranking in monthly farm income has improved and J&K is standing tall among top 5 states/UTs,” the Lt Governor further added.
J&K has limitless potential in agriculture & concerted efforts are opening up doors of opportunity for small & marginal farmers, he said. Never before had high-density plantation investment in agro-based industries taken place at the kind of speed witnessed in the last two years, he observed.
He said that Green Agriculture Revolution, and the contribution of Agricultural Universities, Institutions & Krishi Vigyan Kendras has changed the way of farming in an innovative way by extending benefits of modern technologies to the farmers.
The Lt Governor informed that under the Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana started by Hon’ble Prime Minister, last year J&K administration covered 82,188 farmers and this year, the target is to register 50,000 additional farmers under the scheme. The farmers associated with this scheme will get a pension of three thousand rupees every month in their account after the age of 60 years.
“I urge every eligible beneficiary to take advantage of this scheme”, he added.
The Lt Governor termed farmers, youth and women entrepreneurs as the priority of the J&K administration and assured every possible support to them.
On the occasion, the Lt Governor handed over sanction letters to beneficiaries, and financial assistance to farmers under the National Saffron Mission.
He also released a book titled ‘Zero Budget Natural Farming’ and inspected the impressive stalls set up by government departments, startups and other stakeholders.
Agri-preneurs, Champion Farmers shared their success story and how the support of the administration changed their lives. Many women agri-preneurs encouraged others to take up farming and earn a respectable income.
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