By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 29 May: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today launched the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, aiming to transform agriculture with modern techniques and farmer empowerment. On this occasion, he also announced that during this campaign, agricultural scientists and officials will engage with farmers across 95 development blocks, 670 Nyay Panchayats, and 11,440 villages in the state.
Kicking off the campaign from Guniyal village here today, Dhami said that from 29 May to 12 June, over 2,000 scientific teams will interact with more than 1.5 crore farmers across 700 plus districts nationwide. In Uttarakhand, three teams per district will organise events daily, each engaging over 600 farmers.
Dhami stressed that through this nationwide campaign, farmers will get advanced farming techniques suited to their land and climate, guidance on profitable crop selection via soil testing, and details on various agriculture, horticulture, and animal husbandry schemes. The initiative will also document farmers’ experiences, traditional knowledge, and innovations, helping refine scientific research to make it more practical.
The CM also claimed that India is steadily progressing towards becoming a developed nation, driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. The government is working to double farmers’ income, supporting over 11 crore farmers through schemes like PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. Additionally, MSP hikes, crop insurance, farm subsidies, and digital agriculture initiatives are ensuring financial stability for farmers.
Dhami also mentioned the state’s support to the farmers under the scheme, including interest-free loans up to Rs 3 lakh, an 80 percent subsidy on farm machinery, and a Rs 20 per quintal wheat bonus. He highlighted ongoing efforts in organic tea farming, Aroma Valley development, polyhouse promotion, and the Rs 1,000 crore Rain-Fed Farming Project for the hills. He also reminded that recently, the Apple Policy, Kiwi Policy, Millet Mission, and Dragon Fruit Policy with a budget of Rs 1,200 crores were introduced.
On the occasion, the CM also announced renovation of the Guniyal village community hall and measures to address water depletion in the Song River through RCC walls, check dams, and cut-off structures. He inspected various stalls set up at the event.
Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi praised the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan, calling it a vital step towards India’s development and credited PM Modi and the Centre for approving a significant MSP hike for Kharif crops, benefitting millions of farmers.
Also present at the event were BJP Mahanagar President Siddharth Aggarwal, Lal Batti holder Bhuvan Vikram Dabral, Agriculture Secretary SN Pandey, Director General Agriculture Ranveer Singh Chauhan, Vice Chancellor, Pantnagar University, Prof Dr Manmohan Singh Chauhan, and Vice Chancellor, Bharsar University, Prof Dr Pramendra Kaushal.
