Chandigarh, May 15 (IANS) In a step aimed at saving 15-20 per cent groundwater, the Punjab government on Thursday started the direct sowing of rice (DSR) to check the depletion of groundwater besides supplementing the income of farmers in a big way.

This time, the government aims to bring five lakh acres under this technique.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, the Chief Minister said the government has taken several initiatives to safeguard the interests of the farmers.

He said as a part of this endeavour only, the state government has encouraged DSR technique of paddy cultivation as a part of which sowing under the scheme has been started from Thursday.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the government has set a target of bringing five lakh acres under the DSR technique during this kharif season.

Urging the farmers to make maximum use of this scheme, the Chief Minister said that this initiative is aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture on one hand and conserving the groundwater on the other.

Mann said the government is giving a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per acre to the farmers adopting DSR.

He said the government has also kept a budgetary allocation of Rs 40 crore for this purpose in 2025-26, adding the farmers interested in it can register for the DSR scheme at online portal agrimachinerypb.com till June 30.

The Chief Minister said this scheme will save 15-20 per cent of the groundwater, besides saving the additional expenses on agriculture.

The DSR technique is a big boon as it will help checking the depleting groundwater levels besides reducing labour costs of approximately Rs 3,500 per acre.

He said the farmers should come forward and adopt this scheme and discharge their duty towards their motherland in a befitting manner.

The Chief Minister said the government has always been sensitive towards steering the farmers out of the prevailing agrarian crisis and for saving the precious groundwater of the state.

–IANS

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