The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi interacted with beneficiaries of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra today via video conferencing. Thousands of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra beneficiaries from across the country along with Union Ministers, MPs, MLAs and local-level representatives joined the event.

Saeed Khwaja Muihuddinn of Nandyala, Andhra Pradesh member of a 102-year-old cooperative group informed the Prime Minister that only after the current government’s initiative NABARD offered the group a three crore rupee loan for storage under the Agri infrastructure scheme. This enabled the group to construct five godowns. Farmers who keep their grains get electronic negotiable warehouse receipts enabling them to get low-interest loans from the banks. Multipurpose facilitation center connects the farmers with e-mandis and eNam ensuring the best prices for the farmers for their produce. This eliminates the middleman completely, he said. His group comprises 5600 farmers including women farmers and small businessmen.

The Prime Minister saluted the spirit of the local farmers for running a group for more than 100 years. The Prime Minister was informed that the local farmers came to know of the Agri Infrastructure Fund through cooperative banks and the registrar and storage has enabled the small farmers to hold their produce for the best possible price. The Entrepreneur informed that the initiatives of the last 10 years have really brought transformation in his working as he is also running a Kisan Samriddhi Kendra, he is providing many facilities instituted by the government such as Kisan Credit Cards and value additions through FPOs. 

Discussing the trend of natural farming, the Prime Minister asked the farmers to control the use of fertilizers as many people are adding nano urea to the urea consumption. The Prime Minister was informed that continuous awareness is being created among the farmers and soil testing too is going on to rationalize the use of fertilizers and soil health card is provided to the farmers. “I request the farmers of the country not to use both urea and nano urea. Use Nano wherever available”, The Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister added “When the government works with the spirit of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ schemes reach to the last person. Even after that somebody is left out ‘Modi ki Guarantee ki Gadi” will cover that.” He added that the government is working relentlessly for strengthening PACs and there is a plan to create 2 lakh storage units.

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DS/TS