Bhubaneswar: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said that the Centre has extended a total of Rs 60,836.97 crore assistance to farmers in Odisha in the last six years under several agricultural schemes.
These assistance, made through direct cash benefit, remunerative pricing, crop insurance et al are part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative for creating new avenues for the farmers across the country.
“Strengthening the hands of our ‘Annadatas’ like never before, the Centre has paid a total of Rs 60,836.97 crore to farmers in Odisha in the last six years under several agricultural schemes through direct cash benefit, remunerative pricing, crop insurance etc,” Pradhan said in a tweet.
According to Pradhan, the Centre has taken several historic and bold initiatives to empower the country’s farmers, including those in Odisha. It is heralding pathways for the farmers to enable them harness the full potential of agriculture and become self-reliant, he said.
The Modi government has procured paddy at Minimum Support Price (MSP) worth Rs 53,680.25 crore from farmers in Odisha during 2014-15 to 2019-20.
From Rs 1360 per quintal in 2014-15 to Rs 1868 per quintal in 2020-21, the MSP of paddy has witnessed a progressive hike during the last six years yielding higher returns for farmers, said Pradhan.
The Union Minister through a series of tweets said all eligible small and marginal farmers in Odisha have benefitted from the PM-Kisan Yojana. Rs 2731.87 crore has been paid directly into bank account of farmers in the State since 2018-19 to ease liquidity constraints for procuring inputs and enable them to meet other household expenses.
A total of Rs 4,424.85 crores of claims have been paid to 20.94 lakh farmers in Odisha under PMFBY since 2016-17. The Central government is working determinedly to ensure prosperity and well-being of the backbones of our economy—our farmers, including those in Odisha, Pradhan added.