Jammu: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Sunday said the Modi government is giving special impetus to Agricultural Start-Ups.
He said, this is the golden period of Agriculture happening in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and technological interventions, research and innovation in agriculture under his leadership will double the farmers income by 2022.
Addressing the gathering at the concluding ceremony of five-day long Northern India Regional Agriculture Fair 2021 as chief guest at SKUAST Jammu, Dr Singh said that PM Narendra Modi is serious towards agriculture development in India that can be judged from the fact that two new Ministries, Jal Shakti and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship have been created only to promote agriculture and doubling the farmers income by 2022.
He further mentioned that one of its important links is the recently launched ‘Heli-Borne Survey Technology for groundwater management and to map groundwater resources in arid regions for drinking and agricultural purposes.
Dr Singh said that the agriculture and farm production has been revolutionised in India under the current government which is evident from the various initiatives taken by the government for the welfare of farmers like the Soil Health Card, Neem Coated Urea, PM Fasal Bima Yojana, PM Kissan Sammaan, e-Nam,PM Kissan Maandhan Yojana has not only empowered the Agriculture Sector financially & resourcefully but has also given an esteem and respect to the farmers which was lacking earlier.
Enumerating the development initiatives taken in J&K vis-à-vis agriculture and innovation, Dr Singh said the establishment of north India’s first biotechnology park, two high seed processing plants at Kathua, launch of India’s first Aroma Mission will open new vistas of growth, opportunities and innovation in agriculture in Jammu.
Speaking to the farmers present on the occasion, Dr Singh emphasized that a farmer can now engage himself in multiple activities depending upon his capacity, resources so as to become integrated as the working in silos is over now.
He maintained that the responsibility of the government is then to facilitate the farmer in every way which is being done without any compromise by the present government.
Giving examples of the entrepreneurs involved in various innovative agricultural practices & who are earning in lakhs, Dr. Singh stressed upon the students present there to become job providers and not job seekers, become agricultural technocrats through start-ups and be the architects of innovative India as the agriculture in India is no longer the traditional farming of 19th Century.