Dainik Nation News Portal
DAINIK NATION BUREAU/DEHRADUN
Union Minister for Agriculture, Farmers Welfare, and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan convenes a high-level review meeting with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami here in Dehradun Monday. The meeting’s focus on the implementation and progress of various central schemes related to agriculture, horticulture, and rural development.
Union Minister revealed that 2,000 teams of agricultural scientists have been deployed across the country to support farmers. These teams will visit every district to raise awareness on enhancing productivity, adopting modern technologies, and tailoring agricultural practices to local conditions. Its objective is to bridge the knowledge gap and empower farmers with scientific guidance.
Minister Chouhan appreciated Uttarakhand’s efforts in the agriculture sector, noting that despite a decline in total cultivable area, the state has achieved a notable rise in productivity. He urged the state to undertake long-term agricultural planning and submit detailed proposals to the Centre for timely support.
CM Dhami sought the Centre’s assistance for a ₹1,053 crore fencing project to protect crops from wild animals and Union Minister approved for phased implementation. On the ₹400 crore Agriculture Mechanisation Incentive Scheme, he assured that the second installment would be released after proper utilization of the first.
Further support was extended for strengthening seed production infrastructure, particularly for oil seeds and pulses, and establishing seed hubs in the state. Chouhan also welcomed the state’s ₹1,150 crore proposal for an intensive apple horticulture programme and advised the submission of a comprehensive action plan.
Highlighting traditional crops, CM Dhami requested the inclusion of Jhangora (barnyard millet), cultivated on over 38,000 hectares, under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme, to which the Union Minister responded positively. He also confirmed Centre’s assistance for the Kiwi Mission, Dragon Fruit Mission, and the Himalayan Academy for rural enterprise capacity building.
The Chief Minister proposed branding “House of Himalayas Limited” globally and requested a GI tag for the brand, alongside the creation of a Himalayan Rural Bank and a premium supply chain to uplift women self-help groups. The Union Minister acknowledged the proposals and assured full support.
In addition, CM Dhami called for an increase in MGNREGA wage rates and enhancement of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin grant from ₹1.30 lakh to ₹2 lakh due to high transport costs in hilly areas. The Minister assured that both demands would be considered.
Approval for over 100 road projects under PMGSY Phase IV was also requested, to which the Union Minister assured prompt clearance.
During the meeting Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Principal Secretary R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretaries Radhika Jha, Chandresh Yadav, SN Pandey, Ranveer Singh Chauhan, Vice Chancellor of Pantnagar University Dr. Manmohan Singh Chauhan, Vice Chancellor of Bharsar University Dr. Pramendra Kaushal, Additional Secretary to Government of India R. Anand, Joint Secretary Amit Shukla, and other senior officials were present there.
