To supplement the nodes of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor, announced in February 2018, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the 296-kilometres long Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot today. To be built at a cost of Rs 14,849 crore, the Expressway is expected to benefit Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah districts. The event also marked the launch of 10,000 Farmers Producer Organisations all over the country at Chitrakoot today. He also launched a saturation drive for distribution of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to all the beneficiaries under the PM-KISAN Scheme.

Lauding the Government for taking a number of initiatives to forge employment in the country, Shri Modi said Bundelkhand Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway or the proposed Ganga Expressway, will not only increase connectivity in UP, but also create many employment opportunities and will also connect the people with the facilities available in big cities.

Referring to the huge defence equipment requirements spanning from land systems, ships and submarines to fighter aircraft, helicopters, weapons and sensors, the Prime Minister said that a provision of Rs 3700 crore has been made for the UP Defence Corridor in this year's budget. UP Defense Corridor is also getting momentum from Bundelkhand Expressway, he added.

To increase the income of the farmers of the country and empower them, Prime Minister launched a scheme to create 10,000 FPOs i.e. Farmer Producer Organizations. The farmer who was a producer till now, will also conduct business through FPO, he added. Outlining several initiatives undertaken by the Government for farmers, PM said Government has worked at every front that concerns farmers- be it MSP, Soil Health Card, 100% neem coating of urea, completion of irrigation projects lying incomplete for decades.

Prime Minister said that the FPOs will help in collectivisation of the efforts of the farmers so that they can sell their produce at a better price.In the same spirit, the Prime Minister said the government decided to give more incentives to FPOs in more than 100 Aspirational Districts- 'Aspirational Districts' of the country with at least one FPO formed in every block.

He stressed that nearly 2 crore farmer families of entire UP including Chitrakoot are getting their entitlement of over 12 thousand crore rupees a year, directly deposited in their bank accounts, without middlemen and any discrimination. He compared this with the times when packages of thousands of crores were announced in the name of farmers, in the name of Bundelkhand, but nothing reached the pocket of the farmer. He also added that beneficiaries of PM Kisan Yojana are also being linked to PM Jeevan Jyoti Insurance and PM Jeevan Suraksha Insurance Scheme. “This will ensure insurance amount of up to 2 lakh rupees to farmers in difficult times,” he added.

The Prime Minister announced that a 16 point program has been created to increase farmer's income. He said that the government is making efforts to ensure that the farmer gets a rural haat within a few kilometers of his field, which will connect him to any market in the country. In the coming times, these rural haats will become new centers of agricultural economy, he added.

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VRRK/AK