Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi released the 23rd installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi from West Bengal. As part of this nationwide release, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, inaugurated a related program organized by ICAR-NBAIR at Hebbal in Bengaluru.

Speaking at the event, the Hon'ble Minister said that our ancestors had immense knowledge about friendly insects that help farmers. She stressed that all farmers of the present generation must gain this valuable wealth of knowledge.

She mentioned that studies are currently being conducted on how to conserve and breed friendly insects, and how to use them to destroy harmful crop pests. The Minister noted that the work done by the National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR) in this area is highly significant.

Around 90 percent of farmers in India are small farmers. The Union Government, led by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has launched several schemes to empower them. Currently, 9.44 crore farmers are benefiting from the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi. An amount of Rs. 2,000 is directly credited to the farmers' bank accounts in each installment. This financial support helps farmers to buy seeds and start their agricultural activities. A few years ago, it was very difficult for people to receive government benefits, and funds used to leak at various stages. Today, through direct transfers, all targeted beneficiaries are receiving the actual benefits of government schemes. The Minister added that around Rs. 50 lakh crore has been directly credited to the bank accounts of various beneficiaries overall.

The Hon'ble Minister urged farmers to compulsorily get crop insurance. This will protect them during natural disasters like droughts and floods. She pointed out that farmers will get better prices for their produce by adopting organic farming. She encouraged farmers to move towards natural farming without using chemical pesticides. During the program, the Minister distributed biological pest control kits to the farmers. ICAR-NBAIR Director Dr. T. Venkatesan, Member Secretary Dr. G. Sivakumar, Dr. K. Subaharan of ICAR-NBAIR, and several other officials were present at the event.

 

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