Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan addressing BJP's Parivartan Yatra at Sisai in Gumla district.
Credit: X/@OfficeofSSC
Gumla: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday announced that farmers would get financial support of Rs 5,000 per acre annually for up to five acres and paddy would be purchased at Rs 3,100 per quintal from them if the BJP is voted to power in the state.
Chouhan, who is in charge of BJP for the Jharkhand assembly elections due later this year, said that the financial assistance to women would be doubled from that given under the JMM-led government's Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana.
Addressing the BJP's Parivartan Yatra at Sisai in Gumla district, Chouhan said that the previous BJP government in Jharkhand used to give Rs 5,000 per acre for up to five acres annually to farmers but it was stopped by the JMM-led alliance government after it came to power in 2019.
"If the BJP returns to power in the state, the scheme will be restored and farmers will get Rs 5,000 per acre in addition to the Centre's Rs 6,000 under Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana," Chouhan said.
The Union minister alleged that paddy procurement in Jharkhand is in a dismal condition, as the government does not purchase paddy from them.
"If the BJP is voted to power, we will purchase paddy from farmers at Rs 3,100 per quintal," he said.
The Jharkhand cabinet on September 20 approved a proposal for a bonus of Rs 100 per quintal on paddy in addition to the Centre's minimum support price (MSP) for crops in the 2024-25 fiscal.
The Centre has fixed MSP at Rs 2,300 per quintal for the general variety of paddy and Rs 2,320 for the grade-A variety, for the 2024-25 fiscal.
Chouhan said that the JMM-led government had promised to give Rs 2,000 as 'Chulha Kharch' (cooking cost) five years ago but it did not fulfill its promise.
"As election is round-the-corner, it decided to give Rs 1,000 per month to women," he alleged.
He announced that the assistance amount for women would be doubled from the very first month, if BJP comes to power.
Chouhan claimed that the JMM-led government had promised five lakh jobs to youth and Rs 5,000-Rs 7,000 allowance to unemployed youth but it did not give anything to them.
"There are over 2.87 lakh vacant posts in the government sector. I promise that if the BJP comes to power, our government will approve a proposal to fill all the vacant posts in the very first cabinet meeting and the posts will be filled in a year," he said.
Noting that after completing graduation or post-graduation, it takes around two years to find a job, he announced that Rs 2,000 per month would be given to such students till they get employed.
Chouhan alleged that women and men are not safe under the JMM-led alliance government.
"Over 7,400 cases of rapes, around 6,000 cases of abductions and over 7,000 murders have taken place in Jharkhand in the last five years," he claimed.