Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Labour & Employment, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje participated in an event organised at ICAR- National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bengaluru for the 20th instalment release programme of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi.

Addressing the event, Minister Sushri Shobha Karandlaje stated that the government led by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has implemented the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme to help the small and marginal farmers engaged in agriculture. Under the scheme, six thousand rupees is provided every year to the farmers. This has been beneficial for the farmers to purchase seeds, agricultural inputs and for agricultural activities.

Over the last decade, greater priority has been given to farmers’ welfare. Emphasis has been placed on research and development necessary for agriculture. Agricultural equipment centres have been established to provide agricultural tools to the farmers across the country, which has been especially beneficial for the small and marginal farmers. She also stated that the farmers need to enhance the quality of their crops and turn them into valuable agricultural products. This will allow them to earn more profits and achieve economic success. Providing farmers with advanced technology and facilities is essential for their progress. The union government led by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is constantly working in this direction. She also emphasized that farmers should engage in organic and traditional farming.

The minister also stressed that the farmers should visit Krishi Vigyan Kendras and agriculture-based research institutes to obtain information about new crop varieties and modern technologies, which can benefit them to achieve higher profits. They should protect farmer-friendly pests which will help them in organic farming. To maintain good health, farmers should adopt natural farming practices without using pesticides, the minister said.

During the program, under the Tribal Sub-Plan, biological pest control tools were distributed by the Minister of State, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje. Prior to this, she obtained information from scientists about the research and innovations at the National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR) of ICAR in Bengaluru. The event was attended by the Director of ICAR-NBAIR, Dr. S.N. Sushil, along with other scientists from the institution.

 

*****

SGR/MM/PRD

(Release ID: 2151721)