Bhubaneswar, Nov 19 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday advised the farmers to focus on crop diversification, prioritising the cultivation of oilseeds and pulses, to increase their income multiple times.

Speaking at the state-level event marking the disbursement of the 21st PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi instalment, CM Majhi underscored the need for crop diversification and urged greater cultivation of pulses and oilseeds to significantly improve farmers’ earnings. He further added that the state government has been providing subsidies to help farmers improve their income.

The Chief Minister stated that the government has reduced GST burdens to help farmers adopt new crops and technologies. CM Majhi asserted that his government’s primary aim is to ensure the empowerment and welfare of farmers.

“Empowerment and welfare of farmers in our state is the primary objective of the government. As the Chief Minister, I want to ensure that all eligible farmers of the state definitely receive the benefits and opportunities of every scheme meant for them. No farmer should be deprived of these benefits,” said Majhi.

Notably, PM Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi disbursement programme from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Under this instalment, assistance of more than Rs 18,000 crore has been provided to over 9 crore farmers across the country.

The Central Government provides financial assistance of Rs 6,000 annually in three instalments to help farmers purchase seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and other inputs when necessary.

“Over 34.12 lakh farmers of our state received Rs 2,000 each under this flagship scheme on Wednesday. This assistance is being provided with complete transparency and is benefiting small, medium, large, and urban landholding farmers,” CM Majhi said.

He added that through this transformative initiative of the Prime Minister, farmers, the poor, and women across the country are benefiting today. He further said that besides PM-Kisan, the Odisha government is providing Rs 4,000 to farmers in two instalments under the CM-Kisan scheme of the state government.

The Chief Minister revealed that in the current financial year, Rs 2,991 crore has been given to 51.54 lakh farmers under the CM-Kisan Yojana, which includes 3,236 PVTG farmers and 31,695 urban farmers. Chief Minister Manjhi added that under the Krishi Vidya Nidhi scheme, scholarships are provided to children of CM-Kisan beneficiaries for higher and technical education.

In the academic year 2024-25, scholarships amounting to Rs 53.67 crore have been provided to 13,923 students, which is five times more compared to the previous year, he claimed.

–IANS

gyan/uk