here today. Dr Jitendra Singh said a series of pro-farmer, pro-poor and pro-soldier schemes rolled out by the Union Government are a tribute to Lal Bahadur Shastri’s commitment towards the downtrodden, the lower-strata, the farmer (Kisan) and the soldier (Jawan).
Providing data, Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed that in the year 2016, over Rs. 3,66,64,000 farmers were covered under the newly launched Pradhan Mantri Kisan Bima Yojana and up to 31st December 2016, Rs.13,536 crore had already been dispensed. Similarly, under the Soil Health Card scheme for farmers, the Union Government has sanctioned 460 Soil Testing Labs and Rs. 216.37 crore has already been released under Soil Health Card scheme, he said. Not only this, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has also laid eMphasis on scientific aspects of farming and agriculture. As a result, in the 2016-17 Union Budget, Rs. 650 crore was allocated for agriculture education in contrast to only Rs. 405 crore in 2013-14. He also referred to the Government order of making 100% Neem-coated Urea mandatory from December 2015 and the organic farming mission for the Northeast.
Referring to various welfare measures for military and paramilitary personnel, Dr Jitendra Singh highlighted the “One Rank, One Pension” (OROP) scheme for which over Rs. 11,000 crore had been earmarked and over Rs. 6,500 crore already dispensed. He also referred to provisions brought in for the superannuated soldiers by holding job fairs and special recruitment drives, as a result of which 1,416 officers and 62,415 junior-level army personnel were reemployed between May 2014 and April 2016.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the historic decision of Surgical Strike raised the morale and esteem of the Indian soldier, while the other historic decision of ‘Remonetization’ added to the confidence and esteem of the farmer and the poor. He said the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has also vindicated Lal Bahadur Shastri’s forgotten legacy of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”. Dr Jitendra Singh said, under Shri Narendra Modi’s leadership, the Government also commemorated the contribution towards nation building of unsung heroes of contemporary India.
Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Shri Parsottambhai Rupala also spoke on the occasion.
KSD/NK/PK/KM
