Lucknow, June 25 (IANS) Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday handed over approval letters, sanctioning 6,18,482 pucca houses for the poor in rural areas of Uttar Pradesh under the new phase of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) and extending the minimum support price (MSP) procurement for rabi crops to benefit farmers of the state, to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Union Minister Chouhan said the approval for rural houses is part of the new PMAY-G phase for 2024–25 to 2028–29, under which the Centre aims to construct an additional two crore pucca houses across the country.

“Out of these, 6,18,482 houses have been allocated to Uttar Pradesh, opening the way for providing permanent housing to lakhs of poor rural families in a phased manner.”

Union Minister Chouhan said the survey of rural households in Uttar Pradesh has been completed and eligible poor families living in kutcha houses have been identified.

“The next phase is to provide priority housing to these eligible families under PMAY-G and accelerate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Housing for All’ mission on the ground,” he added.

He assured full financial and technical support from the Centre and emphasised timely construction, quality control and inclusion of every eligible beneficiary.

In a major relief for farmers, the Union Agriculture Minister also formally handed over the approval letter extending the MSP procurement period for key rabi crops.

The approval, granted in response to the Uttar Pradesh government’s request and keeping farmers’ interests in mind, allows procurement of wheat, gram and masoor at MSP till July 8, 2026.

The Union Minister highlighted that the extension aims to ensure that no farmer is deprived of selling produce at MSP due to practical difficulties such as weather conditions, delayed arrivals, weighing issues or congestion in mandis.

“The decision is expected to benefit lakhs of wheat, gram and masoor growers in Uttar Pradesh and help prevent distress sales at below-MSP prices,” he said.

Union Minister Chouhan described Uttar Pradesh as India’s leading agricultural state, noting that the state alone contributes around 38 per cent of the country’s wheat production.

He said climate change, rising temperatures and declining groundwater levels have emerged as serious challenges for farming.

“The proposed scientific roadmap for Uttar Pradesh will integrate crop patterns, irrigation, water conservation, seeds, technology and marketing strategies.”

A draft framework was discussed in detail with the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state’s Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi and their team, and will be finalised jointly by the Centre and the state government.

Union Minister Chouhan added that signs of El Nino are visible this year and rainfall has so far remained below normal, with further shortfall likely.

“The Union government’s priority is that fields should not remain vacant, farmers’ income should be protected, and the country’s food security should not be affected,” he said.

Accordingly, the meeting decided to prepare district-wise contingency plans promoting short-duration and low-water-requirement crops.

Alternative crop lists will be prepared based on local water availability, soil conditions and existing cropping patterns.

A roadmap is also being prepared to ensure timely advisory services, seeds and technical guidance through Krishi Vigyan Kendra, the state agriculture department and local administration.

–IANS

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