Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised Chhattisgarh’s Godhan Nyay Yojana in the 7th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog, saying that the scheme is in the interest of the farmers as vermicompost prepared from cow dung helps in increasing the productivity of the field. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who attended the meeting, elaborated on the scheme and added that the state government has also started procuring cow urine to produce natural fertilisers.
Baghel made five demands for the welfare of the people of the state. He urged the revision of the royalty rate of the main minerals, including coal. He demanded a refund of the deposits in New Pension Scheme in the interest of employees. Asked that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) can be implemented in rural areas located near cities and in other cities having a population lesser than 20,000. Another demand was the reimbursement of expenditure of Rs 12,000 crores on central security forces deployed for Naxal eradication.
Baghel also raised the issue of GST compensation.
He suggested that agricultural research institutes should be given the responsibility of providing free seeds of newly developed crop varieties, mini kits and breeder seeds on a large scale to ensure crop diversification and increased production and productivity of pulses, and oilseeds. The CM said that Chhattisgarh is self-sufficient in the production of food grains and has taken many innovative measures to increase the production of pulses and oilseeds in the state.
Elaborating on the steps being taken by the Chhattisgarh government, he said to promote crop diversification, the state government has started the implementation of Mukhyamantri Vriksharopan Protsaahan Yojana, under which a provision has been made to provide Rs 10,000 per hectare to farmers who cultivate pulses, oilseeds or do plantation instead of paddy. Along with Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana, Chhattisgarh Millet Mission has also been constituted.
Baghel said that NITI Aayog has appreciated the better performance of the aspirational districts of the state in the last three and a half years. But there are still resource problems in the state, which should be resolved. He also urged for relaxation under Forest Conservation Act in setting up five MW solar power plants in 10 aspirational districts of Chhattisgarh.