A prosperous, developed and powerful India is being built under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Important water agreements under Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma’s leadership will usher in a continuous flow of development across the state
New value chains to be created from farm to processing and from processing to exports: Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
*Every section of society including farmers, women, labourers and youth are becoming prosperous
Double-engine government is fulfilling the aspirations of people, from housing to livelihoods: Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma
Jaipur, August 2026 :Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the Hadoti region resonates with a glorious saga of patriotism. Baran carries the fragrance of folk life in its soil, while its folk songs preserve the memories of generations. He said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, an agreement has been signed for the Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal Project, which will provide irrigation water to more than 4 lakh hectares of land. Similarly, an important agreement related to Yamuna water has also been signed. He said these initiatives will usher in a continuous flow of development across the state.
*Major announcements by the Union Minister(
During the programme, Shivraj Singh Chouhan handed over letters of approval to the Chief Minister for the construction of 2,89,355 new houses at a cost of ₹3,473 crore in the State under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin, as well as approval of ₹340.59 crore under the National Agriculture Development Scheme and the Krishi Unnati Yojana of the Agriculture Department.
The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development was addressing the inauguration and foundation stone-laying ceremony of various development works in Baran and Jhalawar at the Agricultural Produce Marketing committee (krishi Upaj Mandi) in Baran on Monday. He said that serving the people is paramount for the government. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a prosperous, glorious, developed and powerful India is being built. At his initiative, Vande Mataram was sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the first time.
The Union Agriculture Minister said that a roadmap for development of the agriculture sector in Baran, Jhalawar and Kota would be prepared. This would enable farmers to cultivate new crops and increase their income. He said that with the cooperation of the state government, new value chains would be created for these districts—from the farm to processing and from processing to exports. This would help increase the production of agricultural products and enable them to reach global markets through marketing and exports.
He said that the dream of creating 3 crore Lakhpati Didis in the country has been fulfilled as part of the Prime Minister’s resolve and now another 3 crore Lakhpati Didis would be created. So far, ₹13,461 crore has been made available to women for self-employment. In Rajasthan, women’s empowerment is being advanced through Rajeevika, under which 32 lakh women will be empowered as Lakhpati Didis.
The Union Agriculture Minister said that important schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana are being implemented to provide shelter to the poor. Several changes have been made in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin. Under these changes, two-wheeler owners and women earning more than ₹10,000 will also be eligible for houses. In addition, farmers owning 5 acres of unirrigated land and 2.5 acres of irrigated land will also be provided financial assistance for constructing houses.
*Baran and Jhalawar receive development projects*
In Baran district, 76 development works worth ₹1,203 crore were inaugurated and their foundation stones laid. Of these, 29 development works worth ₹562 crore were inaugurated, while foundation stones were laid for 47 development works worth ₹641 crore. In Jhalawar, 22 development works worth ₹55 crore were inaugurated and their foundation stones were laid. These included the inauguration of 10 development works worth ₹26 crore and foundation stones laying for 12 development works worth ₹29 crore.
He said that there were several shortcomings in MGNREGA, and the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) has been introduced to address these flaws. Under the scheme, ₹12,000 crore will be spent on development works in villages during the current financial year through contributions from the Central and state governments. Basic infrastructure will be developed in villages. He said that decisions regarding development works under this scheme would be taken at the village level itself. At the same time, Rajasthan’s villages will receive significant support for road construction and repair under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
The Union Agriculture Minister said that ₹6,000 is provided under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi. In addition, the state government is providing an additional Samman Nidhi of ₹3,000. Thus, farmers in the state are now receiving ₹9,000 under the Samman Nidhi. He said that globally, agreements undertaken under the leadership of the Prime Minister have strengthened farmers’ welfare. Even amid war-related crises across the world, farmers have been provided fertilisers at reasonable prices for the Rabi and Kharif crops. He said that a new law would be introduced to enable strict action against those causing losses to farmers through spurious seeds, pesticides and fertilisers, thereby protecting farmers’ interests.
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma said that the state’s Double-Engine government is moving forward continuously towards building a 'Viksit Rajasthan', in step with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve to create a 'Viksit India'. The government is committed to improve the lives of every segment, including farmers, women, youth and labourers. Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is working to realise the Prime Minister’s resolve for farmers’ welfare. Under his able leadership, the villages and farmers are writing a new story of prosperity and happiness.
*Prosperous farmers, prosperous nation*
He said that schemes such as PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, PM-KUSUM and Kisan Credit Card have played an important role in securing farmers’ incomes, reducing agricultural costs and providing them access to easy credit. PM-KUSUM is making solar energy accessible to farmers, thereby reducing agricultural expenditure. He said that if villages and farmers prosper, Rajasthan and the country will also prosper. At the same time, the state government is providing a shield of economic security through the Mangla Pashu Yojana and Gopal Card Yojana. Similarly, through the PM-KUSUM scheme, efforts are being made to reduce farmers’ dependence on conventional sources of energy.
The Chief Minister said that 98 development works worth ₹1,258 crore have been inaugurated and their foundation stones laid in Baran and Jhalawar districts today. During the last two and a half years, a budget of ₹3,316 crore has been allocated for the overall development of Baran and ₹6,474 crore for Jhalawar, taking the total allocation for the two districts to more than ₹10,000 crore. This has strengthened development works in both districts across sectors including water supply, energy, roads, education and healthcare.
*Housing and livelihoods for lakhs of families*
The Union Minister and the Chief Minister handed over keys to the beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin. A total of 1.02 lakh New houses have been built under the scheme. Keys were also symbolically handed over to various beneficiaries at the programme. Foundation stones were also laid for prototype houses in all districts of the state. Under Awaas Plus 2024, a target of 2.89 lakh houses for 2026-27 and an amount of ₹4,600 crore were approved for beneficiaries. Similarly, under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin), works worth ₹2,400 crore in the state were incorporated on the GIS-based Yuktdhara portal.
*Economic support for livestock farmers and women*
At the programme, ₹280 crore were transferred through DBT to 5 lakh livestock rearers under the Chief Minister’s Milk Producer Support Scheme, while ₹250 crore were transferred to 751 Gaushalas under the Gaushala Grant Scheme. Cheques for credit linkage worth ₹10 crore were handed over to women members of Rajeevika Self-Help Groups, while cheques worth ₹8 crore were distributed to 957 Lakhpati Didis under the Lakhpati Didi Loan Scheme. Under the Samarth Sakhi Scheme of Rajasthan Mahila Nidhi, scooters were distributed to five women from Self-Help Groups. The Sashakt CLF and Samriddh Didi Digital Campaigns were also launched, and the Gram Shri Raj Sakhi Mart was inaugurated in Baran.
Earlier, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited the exhibition at the venue showcasing development works and departmental schemes of the Baran district administration. Minister of State for Rural Development Otaram Dewasi, MP Dushyant Singh, MLAs Pratap Singh Singhvi, Lalit Meena and Radheshyam Bairwa, local public representatives, senior officials and a large number of people were present on the occasion.
