Bhopal: Union Agriculture and Rural Development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday was given a rousing welcome by party workers and his supporters during his maiden visit to state capital Bhopal after assuming charge in Modi 3.0 Sarkar's council of ministers.
He reached Bhopal by Shatabdi Express where a large number of party workers welcomed by garlanding him amid chanting of slogans and 'Jai Sri Ram' chants. Earlier, Chouhan was also greeted at Morena, Gwalior and Bina stops as the train passed through these stations. State minister Vishwas Sarang felicitated Chouhan with a sword at the station.
Chouhan then proceeded with a roadshow, travelling from Rani Kamla Pati station (RKP, Bhopal) to the party office on a rath (chariot) and being greeted all along the route.
However, as the day wore on, the scale of celebrations went down with a touch of melancholy. At the party office in the evening, the minister garlanded the statue of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay and Dr Shyama Prasad Mukerjee. Respects were also paid to senior BJP leader Dr Satyanarayan Jatia's late wife Kalawati, who died aged 73.
Chouhan was the longest serving chief minister of MP with a term spanning over 16 years before demitting the office.
Speaking to media on the sideline Chouhan said the roadmap for overall development of the agriculture sector, including the state of Madhya Pradesh, has been prepared and will be articulated in letter and spirit.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to transform the agriculture sector to money-earning business. Chouhan informed the very first signature by PM Modi upon assuming office was on the file authorizing the release of the 17th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisam Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme.
Under the scheme, eligible farmers receive an annual financial benefit of Rs 6000, distributed in 3 equal instalments of Rs 2000 each. Teasing a much-anticipated event, Chouhan announced that on June 18, PM Modi will personally oversee the transfer of Rs 20,000/ crore directly into the bank accounts of 9.03 crore farmers through a single click.
The agriculture sector is considered as the backbone of the Indian economy as it is a agriculture-based economy. The agriculture budget allocation by the union government for year 2023-24 was sum of Rs 125036 crore.
Out of this Rs 115532 crore was allocated to the Dept. of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Rs 9504 crore was allocated to the Dept of Agricultural Research and Education. Meanwhile over the past few years the country has witnessed significant farmers agitations primarily centered around issues such as MSP (Minimum Support Price), Land Reforms and Agricultural Subsidies.
The protest which gained momentum in late 2020 and continued into 2021 saw thousands of farmers rallying against the central government Farm Laws. Although the government repealed these laws in Nov 2021, discontent among farmers’ persists with demand for legal guarantees on MSP and more comprehensive agricultural reforms.