Every Poor Farmer to Receive a Permanent House Under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana – Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Integration of Agriculture and Science Essential for Sustainability in the Agriculture Sector – Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

Pune : Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Gramin Plus Yojana of the Central Government, every poor farmer family in the country, including Maharashtra, will be provided with a permanent house, stated Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

He was speaking at the Kisan Samman Divas event organized at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI) in Shivajinagar. The event included a conference of farmers and rural development beneficiaries. Present at the event were Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, State Minister for Higher and Technical Education Chandrakant Patil, ICAR Assistant Director General Dr. Sanjay Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary of the State Rural Development Department Eknath Davle, and Dr. S.R. Gadakh, Vice-Chancellor of Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola.

Union Minister Chouhan further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has resolved that no poor person in the country should remain homeless and that everyone should have a permanent house. As part of this resolution, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Gramin Plus scheme aims to provide 6,37,089 permanent houses in Maharashtra for the financial year 2024-25. Additionally, another 13,29,678 permanent houses will be sanctioned, bringing the total to 19,66,767 houses. Minister Chouhan announced this during the program, noting that Maharashtra will become the state with the highest number of permanent houses built in the country. He also handed over a letter regarding this to Chief Minister Fadnavis during the event.

He further stated that efforts are underway to increase farmers’ production and income. The Central Government has launched various new schemes focused on improving the living standards and economic well-being of farmers. Institutional credit for farmers has seen significant growth, increasing from ₹7 lakh crore to ₹25 lakh crore in crop loans. The agricultural budget allocation has also increased significantly, with ₹1.27 lakh crore earmarked. In the past two years, the minimum support prices (MSP) for food grains have doubled, and large-scale procurement has been carried out. He urged farmers to adopt natural farming methods and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers.

The Ladki Behna Yojana has been successful in Maharashtra, and under the Lakhpati Didi Yojana, three crore women across the country will be empowered as “Lakhpati Didis.” The income eligibility limit for availing benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has been raised from ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 per month. Farmers with up to 2.5 acres of irrigated land or 5 acres of dryland will also be eligible for this scheme, he added.

Integration of Agriculture and Science Essential for Sustainability – CM Devendra Fadnavis

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis emphasized the importance of integrating agriculture with science to achieve sustainability in the sector. He stated that traditional agricultural knowledge also holds great significance. The world is increasingly turning towards natural farming, focusing on enhancing productivity through natural methods while reducing the use of harmful substances in food production. Maharashtra has embraced the natural farming initiative, aiming to bring 25 lakh hectares of land under natural farming practices.

The Chief Minister added that farmers need to remain experimental in their approach to agriculture. With agricultural land decreasing, productivity must be enhanced to ensure profitability. Initiatives like Per Drop More Crop and other schemes by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have transformed agriculture. The concept of “Drone Didi” has now been introduced to revolutionize farming further.

Mechanization has become essential in agriculture due to the declining availability of agricultural laborers. However, this mechanization must be affordable for small farmers. Initiatives like group farming and collective equipment banks have been implemented in the past. Under the Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjeevani Yojana, significant support, including farm ponds and mechanization, has been provided to farmers in Vidarbha and Marathwada. Sustainable irrigation through programs like Magel Tyala Shet Tale (Farm Ponds for All) is also being promoted, said Fadnavis.

The State Government has launched initiatives like the Magnet Scheme and is transforming village-level cooperative societies into agro-business societies in over 10,000 villages. These institutions are working to establish value chains linked to markets, ensuring better prices for farmers and fair rates for consumers. Both the Central and State Governments have provided e-markets and digital platforms for agricultural trade.

Under the Central Government’s Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana, the State Government has supplemented ₹6,000 through the Namo Kisan Maha-Samman Yojana, offering farmers an annual benefit of ₹12,000, which will soon be increased to ₹15,000. Through the ₹1 crop insurance scheme, farmers in Maharashtra have received ₹8,000 crore in insurance compensation.

Previously, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana benefitted individuals based on the 2011 Census and socio-economic and caste survey data. Recognizing flaws in this system, the Central Government has decided to conduct a new survey, ensuring that an additional 26 lakh families in Maharashtra will benefit under the Awas Plus scheme. The Chief Minister expressed gratitude to the Central Government for this initiative, which will provide housing to a large number of needy families in the state.

Dr. S.K. Roy, Director of ICAR-ATARI, welcomed the dignitaries at the event.

The program featured testimonies from farmers and beneficiaries of various agricultural and rural development schemes by the Central Government. Progressive farmers, small entrepreneurs, and beneficiaries of rural development schemes were honored during the event. Keys to newly built homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana were distributed to beneficiaries.

The event was attended by Divisional Commissioner Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar, Agriculture Commissioner Raosaheb Bhagde, Pune Municipal Commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale, and others.

Earlier, the dignitaries visited an exhibition organized by the ATARI Institute, interacted with producers and farmers, and reviewed the displayed products.