Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr Manik Saha on Friday said the state government is continuously working to double the income of farmers by implementing various welfare measures, including the distribution of modern agricultural machinery and providing easy-term loans through Kisan Credit Cards.
The Chief Minister said this while inaugurating the paddy procurement programme under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme at Kakraban Higher Secondary School Ground in Gomati district.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Saha said India is primarily an agriculture-based country and that both the Central and State governments are committed to strengthening the agricultural sector and improving farmers' livelihoods.
"Since assuming office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced several initiatives for the development of agriculture and the welfare of farmers. Schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi and PM-KUSUM have been launched to provide financial security to farmers. The state government is ensuring that the benefits of these schemes reach every eligible farmer," he said.
The Chief Minister noted that in the past there was no comprehensive plan for the financial development of farmers, which led many of them to lose interest in agriculture.
"Today, the state government is providing various incentives to encourage farming. As a result, farmers are reclaiming fallow land and resuming cultivation. To achieve the goal of doubling farmers' income, the government has been procuring paddy from farmers at the Minimum Support Price since 2018. So far, 2,61,269 metric tonnes of paddy have been procured, resulting in the direct transfer of Rs 520 crore to farmers' bank accounts. A total of 1,35,166 farmers have benefited from the initiative," he said.
Dr Saha further informed that under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, Rs 969.97 crore has been transferred directly to the bank accounts of farmers in the state.
He also said that farmers affected by crop losses have received compensation amounting to Rs 10.63 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
Additionally, more than 4.57 lakh farmers have benefited through the Kisan Credit Card scheme, while over 2.53 lakh farmers have received Soil Health Cards. The state government is also supplying modern agricultural machinery at subsidized rates to make farming more efficient and cost-effective.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, MLA Abhishek Debroy, senior government officials and a large number of farmers attended the programme.