Jammu: The Modi government is giving special impetus to agri startups as technological interventions and research in the sector will help double farmers’ income by 2022, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday.
He said 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 the farmers.
“Modi-led government is giving special impetus to agriculture start-ups. This is the golden period of agriculture happening in India under Modi and technological interventions, research and innovation in agriculture under his leadership will double the farmers income by 2022,” Singh said at a function here.
Attending the concluding ceremony of five-day long Northern India Regional Agriculture Fair 2021 at SKUAST Jammu, the minister said the Prime Minister 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.
“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,” he said.
Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office, said 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 and resourcefully but has also given an esteem and respect to the farmers which was lacking earlier.
Enumerating the development initiatives taken in J&K viz-a-viz agriculture and innovation, the minister 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 farmers present on the occasion, he 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 and who are earning in lakhs, 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.
Singh also urged SKUAST administration to promote 75 agricultural Start-ups from this university on 75 years of India’s independence on the lines of his Ministry which is also promoting start-ups as 75 young start-ups in science, 75 women start-ups in science, 75 SIT hubs dedicated to SCs and STs.
