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India Gazette
5 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel launches state-wide Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], May 29 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, while initiating the state-wide 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan', stated that this campaign will serve as a unique initiative to enhance agricultural production, promote farmer self-reliance, and foster indigenous produce. In this context, he said that inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this campaign aims to bring about a revolutionary transformation in agriculture by integrating efforts such as value addition, farm mechanization, and natural farming through the use of timely technology in agriculture. This campaign, organised by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare with support from ICAR, scientists from state Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and experts from agricultural universities, will be conducted nationwide from May 29 to June 12, according to the press release. CM Patel launched the campaign in Gujarat from Anand Agricultural University on Thursday. Under this campaign in Gujarat, an extensive plan has been formulated to directly reach more than 3.50 lakh farmers through 2951 clusters across 235 talukas. During this campaign, scientists from 30 Krishi Vigyan Kendras and four agricultural universities, agricultural experts, officers from the agriculture department, and local progressive farmers will visit villages and interact with farmers. During these visits, farmers will be informed about natural farming, modern and climate-resilient farming methods, new improved seeds, nano fertilizers, soil health card usage, and the importance of using only the necessary amount of fertilizers. Additionally, they will also be made aware of farmer-beneficiary schemes of the Central and State Governments. In the Anand Agricultural University zone, more than 1.02 lakh farmers from 793 villages across 9 districts; 80,000 farmers from 465 villages across 7 districts under Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University; 1.20 lakh farmers from 933 villages across 10 districts under Junagadh Agricultural University; and over 71,000 farmers from 760 villages across 7 districts under Navsari Agricultural University zone will be covered under this campaign. Altogether, more than 3.5 lakh farmers will be reached, as planned by the state government's Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. CM Patel described the campaign as a golden opportunity delivered to the doorstep of Gujarat's farmers. He added that by recognising the need for innovation and research in agriculture, Gujarat, under the visionary leadership of PM Modi, has set a remarkable example of how to effectively harness modern technology and science, such as nano urea fertilizer and drone technology, in the farming sector. He further stated that PM Modi demonstrated in Gujarat how political will, when focused on the betterment of farmers, the agricultural sector, and rural life, can bring about transformative changes by ensuring the provision of adequate electricity and Narmada water for irrigation. PM initiated the 'Krishi Mahotsav' with an approach where the state government proactively provides farmers with guidance on optimal crop selection for their fields and strategies for achieving higher value through value addition. The Chief Minister stated that agricultural welfare dimensions such as Soil Health Cards, Lab to Land, and Pashu Arogya Mela have been made possible for Gujarat through PM's visionary leadership and foresight. As a result, during the period from 2001 to 2014, when the national agricultural growth rate was just 3 percent, Gujarat's annual agricultural growth rate was increasing at a double-digit pace. The Chief Minister congratulated PM Modi and the brave soldiers of the country for the success of Operation Sindoor and stated that just as the army constantly stands guard to protect the country's borders, farmers ensure the food security of the nation's people. He also expressed confidence that Gujarat's farmers will continue to lead the way in this Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan for Viksit Bharat@2047. On the occasion of launching this campaign, the Chief Minister also symbolically distributed various assistance kits to the farmers. Addressing the event, Dr. Manish Das of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, provided detailed insights into ICAR's efforts to overcome challenges faced by farmers in the agricultural sector. He further stated that through this campaign, which is aligned with the Prime Minister's Lab to Land vision, ICAR aims to provide a new dimension by reaching around 1.5 crore farmers in the state. He expressed confidence that ICAR scientists will work to solve the challenges faced by farmers in their fields through this campaign. In a welcoming address, Vice-Chancellor of Anand Agricultural University, K B Kathiria, stated that the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan will become a platform for mutual learning between farmers and scientists. The event concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Director of Agriculture Prakash Rabari. On this occasion, Deputy Chief Whip Raman Solanki, Member of Parliament Mitesh Patel, District Leader Sanjay Patel, MLAs Yogesh Patel, Chirag Patel, Kamlesh Patel, Vipul Patel, Additional Chief Secretary of the Agriculture Department Anju Sharma, Managing Director of Agro Industries Vijay Kharadi, Secretary of Agriculture and Cooperation Department P D Palsana, District Collector Pravin Chaudhary, District Development Officer Devahuti, Superintendent of Police Gaurav Jasani, senior officials and staff of the Agriculture Department, and a large number of farmers were present. (ANI)
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Agriculture department to extend services to farmers in their villages
Camps organised under the Uzhavarai Thedi Velanmai-Uzhavar Nala Thurai, an initiative aimed at delivering agricultural services to farmers in the villages, got under way in the districts in central region on Thursday. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin virtually inaugurated from Chennai the scheme at Manickamangalam in Tiruvarur district. The scheme was announced in the Agriculture Budget for 2025-26. Officials in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and allied departments organised camps in the villages in the districts to assess the requirements of farmers and extend services to them. Farmers would be provided need-based inputs. The scheme camps would be held once every fortnight on the second and fourth Fridays in two villages each in every taluk. Apart from fulfilling the requirements of farmers, the camps would ensure that the government schemes reached them quickly, the officials said. In Pudukottai, Minister for Natural Resources S. Reghupathy and Minister for Backward Classes Welfare Siva V. Meyyanathan participated in the camps at Alavayal in Ponnamaravathy taluk and Senthakudi in Thiruvarankulam taluk respectively, and distributed assistance to farmers under various schemes. In Tiruchi district, Collector M. Pradeep Kumar and senior officials of the departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Agricultural Engineering, and Animal Husbandry participated in the camp held at Madhavaperumalkovil in Manachanallur taluk and distributed welfare assistance to farmers under various schemes. In Karur, Collector M. Thangavel, and MP S. Jothimani participated in the camp held at Vangal Kuppuchipalayam.
Hans India
06-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Ayush manufacturing sector grew 8x in last 10 years, huge potential for economy, export: Centre
New Delhi: The Ayush manufacturing sector grew eight times in the last decade, and the sector has huge potential for boosting the economy and export, said Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush. He was speaking at the stakeholder consultation meeting along with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, in the national capital. The meeting aimed to promote the cultivation and use of medicinal plants across the country, observing participation from other ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, National Plant Medicinal Board (NPMB), State Horticulture Missions (SHMs), ICAR, State Medicinal Plant Boards, progressive farmers and leading private players from Medicinal Plant industry. 'There is a huge possibility of growth in Ayush sector. The Ayush manufacturing sector has grown by 8 times in the last 10 years and has vast export potential. The sector has enormous economic opportunities, and especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for Ayush products including medicinal plants has grown immensely,' said Kotecha. Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, of the Agriculture Ministry, highlighted the scope of the Ayush sector in increasing the domestic production of medicinal plants as inter-state trade and export of medicinal plants. 'We need better convergence between the Ministry of Ayush and Agriculture departments and collaboration with State Medicinal Plant Boards, to promote medicinal plants at the national level,' he said. Chaturvedi stressed that there is a need for a mission-mode programme for medicinal plant cultivation, identifying good practices of cultivation, efficient techniques, etc., which will help in the upliftment of the sector. The meeting focussed on exploring avenues for developing region-specific medicinal plant clusters; facilitating partnerships between farmers and industry players for assured procurement and end-to-end value chain development; discussing the establishment of dedicated mandis and marketing platforms to ensure fair prices for farmers; and promoting research, training, and extension services to build capacity among stakeholders. The participants and stakeholders also suggested identifying crop-specific areas for the establishment of clusters dedicated to medicinal plants. These clusters would focus on area expansion, production, industry partnerships, farmer training, and marketing through setting up specialised mandis for these crops ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers. The experts also emphasised the need to identify policy interventions and financial incentives to encourage farmers to take up the cultivation of medicinal plants.
