Centres assures to achieve objective of 'water to every field' within four years

Asserting that the government is committed for the prosperity and welfare of farmers of India, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Tuesday said that within the time span of four years, the major objective of providing water to every field along with improved irrigation facilities will be achieved.

Addressing the Regional Editors Conference in Chandigarh today, Singh said that the government is working in connecting all agriculture mandis with a national platform to ensure better prices for the produce of farmers.

"By next year all the 585 mandis will be connected to a common single market, where farmers would be able to sell their produce for better price," he said.

"The government is committed for the prosperity and welfare of farmers, for this purpose a number of initiatives have been taken during last two and half year. Within four years objective of "Water to every field" will be achieved. Improved irrigation facilities with long term irrigation fund and better management initiated by this government will help to achieve the target," he added.

Singh further said that the government is working for financial empowerment of the farmers through various ways.

"The credit flow to the agriculture sector has been increased to 9.0 lakh crore and to reduce the pressure of loan on farmers, Rs. 15,000 crore has been allocated for interest subvention," he said.

The minister also emphasised that the Centre is already providing five percent interest subsidy to the banks out of nine percent being charged by them for agriculture loan and appealed to the state governments to provide the remaining four percent from their exchequer so that farmers can get agriculture loan at zero percent.

Reiterating that the government is committed to ensure two fold increase in the income of farmers, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh said that besides increase in Minimum Support Price, other schemes have been taken up to raise the income of the farmers.

"The Centre has decided to set up 150 seed hubs in country to increase production of pulses. Each hub produces 1000 quintal of quality seeds which will be provide to farmers," the minister said.

He further expressed hope that all the farmers' friendly measures of the government would bring prosperity to them and announced that by 2017, about 14 crore farmers would get Soil Health Card and insurance cover.