Gandhinagar, May 19 (IANS) The Gujarat government has substantially increased financial assistance for the purchase of “Sanedo” agricultural vehicles under the ‘Kisan Parivahan Yojana’, in a move aimed at reducing transport costs for farmers and improving the movement of agricultural produce, particularly in rural and remote areas of the state.

Announcing the decision on Tuesday, State Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani said the increase in subsidy was approved after repeated representations from farmers and agricultural groups.

The assistance is being provided for the purchase of the “Ride On Self-Propelled Multipurpose Tool Bar”, commonly known as the “Sanedo”, a three-wheeled agricultural utility vehicle widely used by farmers in the Saurashtra region.

Under the revised scheme, farmers in the general category will now receive a 40 per cent subsidy on the total cost of the vehicle, capped at Rs 60,000.

Previously, the subsidy amount was capped at Rs 25,000.

For Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe farmers, as well as small, marginal, and women farmers, the subsidy has been increased to 50 per cent of the total cost, up to a maximum of Rs 75,000.

“The state government has positively considered the representations received from farmers and various stakeholders and decided to increase the subsidy available for the purchase of Sanedo vehicles,” Vaghani said while announcing the revised assistance structure.

Officials said Sanedo vehicles are widely used by small and medium farmers for multiple agricultural activities and transportation.

The revised subsidy, he said, is expected to help farmers transport agricultural produce to markets more efficiently and lower logistics expenses.

The state government further stated that the assistance would be available only once in seven years to eligible beneficiaries.

The purchased vehicle must be tested by an institution recognised by the Central government and registered on the ‘i-Khedut’ portal.

According to the scheme conditions, the vehicle can only be used for transporting agricultural produce.

Farmers will not be permitted to sell the vehicle within two years of purchase, and no modifications for passenger transport will be allowed.

Farmer groups and agricultural organisations have welcomed the decision and thanked the state government, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and Agriculture Minister Vaghani for revising the subsidy structure.

–IANS

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