NEW DELHI: Rajo Hatila, a tribal graduate from a remote village in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh, had an interesting story to share with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday about how his life was transformed after he opted for mechanised farming after years of jobless struggle.
"I took a 50% subsidised loan of Rs 14 lakh and bought agricultural instruments. We have earned over Rs 8 lakh by farming on 2.5 hectares of family land in the past two years," Hatila said, recounting how he had struggled for years but was a happy farmer thanks to the government's initiatives.
Farmers from across the country had stories to share with the PM, who interacted with them through video bridge. Over 2 lakh
Common Service Centres (CSC) and 600
Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) were connected through the video dialogue. This was the seventh interaction in the series by the PM through video conference with various beneficiaries of government schemes .
Modi mentioned neem coating of urea, which he claimed had benefited farmers immensely. Adequate supply of fertilisers, considered one of the major achievements of the government, is seen as a major step to counter the opposition's allegations of farmer distress.
Terming farmers as 'Annadatas' (food providers), prime minister outlined his vision for farmers overall welfare in the country, reiterating that his government is working towards doubling the farmer's income by 2022 and to provide farmers maximum price of their produce.
"The government is committed that farmers should feel that from '
beej Se bazaar' (seed to market), how various initiatives helped them improve traditional farming," Modi said. Claiming that the sector had developed rapidly in the last 48 months, he said there was record production of milk, fruits and vegetables in the country.
