PM announces Rs-25,000-crore package for agricultural revamp

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced a fund of 25,000 crore rupees in the next four years for revamping the agriculture sector.

New Delhi, May 29 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced a fund of 25,000 crore rupees in the next four years for revamping the agriculture sector.

In his concluding remarks at the 53rd meeting of the National Development Council's Special Session on Food and Agriculture here today, Singh said that Food Security Missions would be launched to immediately arrest the stagnation in the production of rice, wheat and pulses.

With regard to providing credit to the farmers Dr. Singh said: "The problem of having a large number of farmers outside any institutional coverage needs to be redressed soon," and urged Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to expand the programme of financial inclusion to achieve universal coverage in a definite time span of four years.

"The goal of four percent annual growth in agriculture and allied activities in 11th Five Year Plan is certainly feasible and achievable, if only we are willing to take tough decisions and back it up with concerted action," he said.

He went on to say that since the problems in agriculture sector were highly localized, therefore they needed localized solutions taking into account local resources endowments, capabilities as well as constraints.

"We must also ensure that small landholders and women who work in farms are adequately protected against risks and benefit from all our efforts to improve agricultural performance," he emphasized.

Singh highlighted that the most important outcome of the NDC meet was the resolution adopted to allow states to draw up their own plans for agriculture.

Concluding the NDC meet, the Prime Minister said, "We are all simultaneously united to do everything in our power to get our agriculture once again on the road to prosperity."

ANI