Blitz Bureau
New Delhi, 29 September: Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday handed over financial sanction letters worth more than Rs 1,200 crore to agriculture ministers of 10 states under the Prime Minister Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY).
The disbursement included Rs 290 crore for West Bengal, Rs 198 crore for Haryana, Rs 181 crore for Chhattisgarh, Rs 154 crore for Arunachal Pradesh, Rs 114 crore for Bihar, Rs 104 crore for Karnataka, Rs 75 crore for Mizoram, Rs 64 crore for Himachal Pradesh, Rs 58 crore for Jharkhand and Rs 43 crore for Punjab.
Chairing a meeting attended by Agriculture Ministers and senior officials from various states, Chouhan said the Union Government was not only limiting itself to policy formulation, but also ensuring timely availability of resources to states so that implementation of schemes could begin on the ground without delay.
Highlighting the country’s agricultural performance, Chouhan said that since 2015, the agriculture growth rate has increased from 3 per cent to 4.5 per cent. The average annual increase in foodgrain production has also more than doubled, rising from around 40 lakh tonnes earlier to 84 lakh tonnes per year. He further noted that in just two years, from 2023-24 to 2025-26, rabi foodgrain production recorded an unprecedented increase of 205 lakh tonnes.
Announcing a new mechanism to further strengthen cooperative federalism, Chouhan said that, on the lines of weekly reviews conducted at the Centre, regular monthly virtual review meetings with states would now be held to continuously assess progress. At the state level, a strong State Agriculture Team will be constituted by bringing together the Agriculture Minister, Agriculture Secretary, state agricultural universities, ICAR institutions, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), ATMA and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). Monthly meetings will also be held at the district level.
