Implementation of schemes can double farmers' income: Ahluwalia

From our Correspondent

AZARA, April 30: Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare SS Ahluwalia has said that if the schemes taken up by the Government at the Centre for doubling the income of farmers in the country are implemented in the country, India will develop.

Taking part as the chief guest at the workshop held at the Kamrup Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Kahikuchi on the outskirts of Guwahati today, Ahluwalia said: “The Centre has set the target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022. If the various schemes taken up by the Centre to make that a reality are implemented properly, the farmers of the country will be largely benefitted, besides boosting the economy of the country. Earlier the order of preference for vocations was agriculture, business and government/private jobs. However, nowadays the order has been reversed as jobs, business and agriculture. We’ve to reverse the trend yet again so as to make agriculture to be the topmost vocation. Only this can ensure the development of farmers, leading to the development of the country as a whole.”

The Union minister laid stress on the agricultural schemes taken up by the Centre. In his interaction with the farmers, the minister came to know that the farmers are ignorant of agricultural schemes taken up by the Centre like health card, mobile App for farmers, ‘a drop of water and more crops’ etc. “Research, hoardings, pamphlets, documentaries etc., for making agricultural schemes popular among the farmers won’t bear any fruits unless there is awareness drives,” he said, asking the agricultural scientists to be active in the laboratory as well as in the field. He also appealed to the scientists to share their knowledge with farmers as to how their income could be doubled through farming.

The workshop was attended, among others, by Additiol Chief Secretary KK Mittal, MLAs Ramendra rayan Kalita and Bhabesh Kalita, MP Bijoya Chakraborty and ICAR DDG JS Sandhu. The welcome address was delivered by ICAR-ATARI director Bidyut Chandra Deka.

It was followed by the technical session between programme coorditors from 22 Krishi Vigyan Kendras and farmers.