"Felt like family member": Farmers laud Centre's schemes during interaction with PM Modi

New Delhi [India], October 12 (ANI): As Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with farmers from across the country in the national capital, farmers lauded him for several agricultural schemes and subsidies, saying he felt like a family member.
PM Modi on Saturday participated in a special Krishi programme at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi, where he interacted with groups of farmers engaged in pulse cultivation, the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), animal husbandry, and fisheries, discussing their challenges and innovations.
A woman farmer said, "PM Samman Nidhi is a blessing for us. We get a lot of help from the Rs 6,000 we get annually, as we use it for ploughing the field and buying seeds."
Following the interaction, a farmer said, "When he spoke to us, it felt like he was not a Prime Minister but a member of our family."
PM Modi asked the farmers to reduce the use of fertilisers and adopt natural farming.
He said, "Do you wish to reduce the amount of fertilisers used? We should also think that this (land) is our mother. How will the mother survive if we feed her like this? If farmers think that they want to pass on a fertile land to their children, then they would not spoil it."
"If someone has four bheegha land. If you ask a farmer to indulge in natural farming fully, they will not have the courage to do so...Ask him to divide the land into four parts and listen to the advice for one bheegha land and keep continuing his work on the rest of the land. When he gets some success, he will trust it," he added.
He also emphasised the use of solar energy in farms and said, "You fence the farms and 1.5-2 meters of land is wasted. If we install solar energy there, you can sell electricity and earn. The government provides money for this."
Another lauded the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana and told the Prime Minister that he employs 25 people.
"In 2020, when the world was under lockdown, I studied and got to know about the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana. It was a life-changing scheme for us. The subsidy helped me a lot. I employ 25 people from several places in Uttarakhand," he said.
Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi unveiled a series of initiatives for India's agriculture and allied sectors at an event held at Pusa, Delhi, a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said.
The launch of the 'Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana' and the 'Self-Reliance in Pulses Mission' marks a major milestone in India's agricultural journey. The 'PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana' is a coordinated initiative involving 36 sub-schemes across 11 ministries, designed to accelerate agricultural progress in aspirational districts. The 'Self-Reliance in Pulses Mission' aims to make India self-sufficient in pulses production, reducing dependence on imports in light of rising domestic demand.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated and laid the foundation for 1,100 projects under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), animal husbandry, fisheries, and food processing sectors. Together, these initiatives represent an investment exceeding Rs 42,000 crore, paving the way for the creation of modern cold storage facilities, processing units, and warehouses across rural India. (ANI)