Naveen unveils Agriculture Policy on 'Akshya Tritiya'

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today unveiled Odisha's Agriculture Policy-2013 on the auspicious occasion of 'Akshaya Tritiya', marking beginning of the farming season in the state.
Patnaik announced his government's commitment to invigorate the agro sector.
"Odisha is the first state to implement agriculture policy and lay out special budget for agriculture," Patnaik said.
"Though states like Karnataka had envisaged such plan, we have implemented it to economically uplift those surviving on agriculture," he said.
The state agriculture policy-2013 would lay focus on irrigation and food processing industries, CM said, adding, the state government would sanction agriculture loan at the rate of only two per cent interest to farmers.

The state government has also decided to sanction agriculture loan to the tune of Rs 6,000 crore for kharif and rabi crops this year.

Besides, Patnaik said Rs 11,000 crore would be spent to lift irrigation under the newly implemented agriculture policy.
The Chief Minister also announced launching of Health Insurance scheme for 50 lakh farmers' families across the state.
Two crore people would get benefit from it with each family being armed with Rs 1 lakh health insurance cover for three years under Biju Krishak Kalyan Yojana.