Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused previous governments of misleading farmers on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) issue, asserting that his government has consistently prioritised farmers’ welfare
and empowerment. Addressing a public gathering in Banaskantha, Gujarat, PM Modi said his government has taken several steps to strengthen the agricultural sector and improve farmers’ financial security.
The Prime Minister also reflected on his years in public service, telling the gathering, “It has been 25 years since I began serving you.”
PM Modi was addressing the event during his two-day visit to Gujarat, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various development projects worth over Rs 14,000 crore in Banaskantha.
He also released the 24th instalment of the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi scheme, amounting to Rs 19,000 crore.
Speaking about the latest instalment, the Prime Minister said farmers, whom he described as the country’s ‘annadatas‘, were among the strongest pillars of India. He said his government had always placed their empowerment and welfare at the centre of its policies.
“Today, another instalment of PM-KISAN has reached the accounts of farmers of the nation. Our farmers, our ‘annadatas‘, are one of the strongest pillars of our country. Our government has always prioritised empowering our farmers,” PM Modi said.
In another statement highlighting the government’s focus on agriculture, the Prime Minister said the country’s agriculture budget had increased more than five-fold compared to 2013-14.
“Our farmers, the food providers of the nation, are among the strongest pillars of a developed India. Our government has always prioritised the welfare of farmers and their empowerment.”
“Compared to 2013-14, the country’s agriculture budget has now increased more than five-fold. The PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi has become an integral part of the lives of crores of small farmers. Today, more than Rs 18,000 crore has been transferred to the bank accounts of nearly 10 crore farmers,” he said.
PM MODI VISITS CATTLE BREEDING RESEARCH CENTRE
Earlier, PM Modi visited the Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC) cattle farm and the Embryo Transfer Technology-In Vitro Fertilisation (ET-IVF) Laboratory in Banaskantha district.
During his visit, the Prime Minister toured the facilities, which focus on bovine breeding, genetic upgradation and advanced reproductive technologies. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi were also present.
The BBBRC at Bhildi is a state-of-the-art facility spread across 127 acres and established as a Centre of Excellence.
It is the country’s first facility of its kind dedicated to the Kankrej cattle breed and is expected to accelerate breed improvement by 10–20 times.
During a group photograph with the Prime Minister, a group of women at the cattle farm raised slogans of “Modi nahi jayenge” while posing with him.
MAJOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN GUJARAT
Among the major projects announced during the visit are two Bio-CNG plants of Banas Dairy at Tharad and Radhanpur. The plants will have cattle dung processing capacities of 75 metric tonnes per day and 100 metric tonnes per day, respectively.
PM Modi will also lay the foundation stones for Ahmedabad Metro Phase-2A, the Airport Extension, and Phase-2B, the GIFT City Extension. Phase-2A will cover over 6 km with five stations from Koteshwar Road to the Airport, while Phase-2B will span over 3.3 km with three stations from GIFT City to Shahpur.
Another major project is the upgradation and strengthening of Ahmedabad-Mehsana Road (State Highway-41) from four lanes to eight lanes at an estimated cost of around Rs 2,600 crore.
The project is expected to improve connectivity between Ahmedabad and North Gujarat.
The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for 4,030 new child-friendly Anganwadi Centres and inaugurate 361 completed centres in Gujarat. The initiative involves an investment of Rs 800 crore and is expected to benefit more than four lakh people.
Additionally, 521 projects completed under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, with a total project cost of around Rs 4,950 crore, will be dedicated to the nation.
These include cold storage facilities, cold chains, warehouses, silos, polyhouses, greenhouses and integrated processing facilities.
Other projects include the inauguration of an expanded potato processing plant at Sanadar and the commissioning of an Automated Storage and Retrieval System for ultra-high-temperature products at Palanpur.
The Prime Minister also flagged off the Ahmedabad (Sabarmati)-Varanasi Express and the Mehsana-Becharaji-Sabarmati MEMU train services.
