Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his letter to the nation said that farmers have been the backbone of the country's progress, whether it is historic MSP hikes, massive rise in procurement or making fertilisers available to them inexpensively despite globally high prices.
On Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled its election manifesto, known as 'Sankalp Patra'. The manifesto was released in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief J.P. Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and other leaders.
The PM in his address, during the launch, said that India will be made a Global Nutrition Hub due to which farmers will benefit immensely. “Increasing vegetable production and storage facilities will be our focus. Kisan Samman Nidhi will continue,” said PM Modi.
In the letter, the PM also outlined the government's efforts to expand farmers' access to both local and global markets, empowering them to thrive in a competitive environment. Additionally, he celebrated the success of the PM KUSUM scheme, which aims to transform farmers into 'Urjadatas' (energy providers) by enabling them to generate solar power.
“Farmers have been a backbone of our nation’s progress. Whether it is historic MSP hikes, a massive rise in procurement or making fertilisers available to them inexpensively despite globally high prices, direct income support through PM-KISAN, the safety net of Fasal Bima, renewed focus on millets, expanded access to local and global markets, a number of steps have been taken to empower them,” PM Modi wrote in the letter.
“Our Annadatas are also becoming Urjadatas due to the PM KUSUM scheme. Empowered by our Beej Se Bazar Tak approach, our farmers have done wonders for the country,” the PM further stated.
PM Modi, in a stirring declaration in the manifesto, celebrated India's remarkable journey from being labelled among the 'Fragile Five' nations to ascending as one of the top five economies globally.
“We have gone from a nation that was in the ‘Fragile Five’ to a nation that is one of the top 5 economies of the world. The most important facet of this progress is that the fruits of development reached everyone, especially those who needed it the most,” the PM said in the letter.
“The mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas has guided our actions. The nation’s growth has been powered by the victory of 25 crore people in the battle against poverty. These are people who had suffered decades of deprivation of even basic necessities. Today, not only are they benefiting from our saturation approach in basic needs like bank accounts, gas connections, toilets, water, electricity, etc, but they are also being empowered with new-age facilities like optic fibre connections, digital solutions, drones, etc,” the PM said.
In the letter, he further emphasised that the nation's growth is intricately intertwined with the profound socio-economic transformations witnessed in the lives of various segments of society, including women, farmers, fisherfolk, street vendors, small entrepreneurs, and marginalised communities.
“The nation’s growth has come from the drastic socio-economic transformation seen in the lives of women, farmers, fisherfolks, street vendors, small entrepreneurs, SC, ST and OBC communities. They are being directly empowered through the power of technology such as the JAM trinity,” PM Modi said.
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