Indus water belongs to Indian farmers, Chouhan assures farm outfits
The new move, taken after the Pahalgam terror attack, would benefit Indian farmers and the country, he said. 'We will ensure that Indian farmers get their due share of water from the Indus river,' he added.
The Minister was addressing several farmers' organisations from the northern States at a meeting in the national capital.
The Union Agriculture Ministry said in a release that farmer organisations present at the meeting welcomed the government's decision and demanded that the treaty be completely abrogated. 'They also appealed to the government to ensure that the water from the Indus river is used in States such as Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir,' the release said.
In a statement issued after the meeting, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Non-Political) spokesman Dharmendra Malik said that India had the legal right to terminate the treaty. 'The treaty was a shameful agreement that allowed an enemy country to use our water. We hope that similar bold decisions will be taken in the future for the welfare of farmers and national security,' he said.
Awareness campaigns
Earlier, talking to reporters, Mr. Chouhan said he had held discussions with State Agriculture Ministers and senior officials on the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan about spreading information on technological advances in agriculture among farmers. He said the Centre would hold meetings of the Vice-Chancellors of State Agriculture Universities on the campaign, where 2,170 teams of scientists would visit villages across the country to directly engage with and train farmers.
'The campaign will follow a two-way communication approach—on one hand, scientists will share research and technical know-how with farmers, and on the other, they will gather insights into the challenges farmers face in the field. These findings will help guide future research efforts and provide practical, location-specific solutions,' Mr. Chouhan said.
He added that the Centre was working based on the spirit of 'One Nation, One Agriculture, One Team', and such 'lab to farms' campaigns would help in increasing agricultural production ahead of the upcoming Kharif sowing season.
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