Pulwama, June 19: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, today visited Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Malangpora to partake in celebration of PM Kisan Utsav Divas from where he attended the Prime Minister’s landmark event of release of 17th installment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme virtually. He had an exclusive interactive session with the local farming community there.
Earlier, Nityanand Rai toured various agricultural sites, including a virus-free high-density apple orchard, saffron and almond plantations, a high-tech playhouse for vegetative propagation of walnut and areas dedicated to propagation of medicinal and aromatic plants and high-density vegetables.
During his visit, the Union Minister inspected various stalls and distributed subsidy sanction letters among the selected beneficiaries. A large number of farmers and PM Kisan beneficiaries were present on the occasion who interacted with the Union Minister and shared their experiences.
The Union Minister emphasised the critical role of agriculture in India’s economy and highlighted governments unwavering support for farmers through different schemes including PM KISAN SAMMAN NIDHI. He maintained that agriculture remains a priority for the Prime Minister and praised the PM-KISAN scheme, which has provided significant financial support directly to farmers’ bank accounts since its launch on February 24, 2019.
Nityanand Rai also stressed the importance of good agricultural practices, emerging technologies in agriculture and climate-resilient farming. He reiterated that agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy, generating most employment opportunities and sustaining the country’s food reserves. He emphasized the importance of traditional agricultural knowledge and use of farmers for knowledge sharing and training.