New Delhi, October 9(HS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to roll out two landmark initiatives aimed at transforming India’s agricultural landscape. On Saturday, from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Pusa, he will launch the Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana and the Dalhan Atmanirbhar Mission, providing a major boost to farmers nationwide.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, addressing a press conference at the National Media Centre on Thursday, revealed that the combined value of these schemes will exceed ₹42,000 crore. The Pulses Self-Reliance Mission targets increasing the cultivation area of pulses from 27.5 million hectares to 31 million hectares, and raising annual production from 24.2 million tonnes to 35 million tonnes by 2030-31, bridging India's self-sufficiency gap despite being the world's largest producer.

Under the Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana, 100 districts with low productivity have been earmarked for intensive improvement efforts by integrating 36 schemes from 11 departments to deliver comprehensive agricultural support directly to farmers.

Prime Minister Modi will also interact with members of Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs), practitioners of natural farming, and other cultivators.The event will be broadcast live to 731 science centres, 113 ICAR institutes, agricultural markets, and Kisan Samriddhi Kendras, with an expected participation of 12.5 million farmers in person across the country.

Farmers will receive certified seeds from a distribution of 12.6 million quintals, along with 8.8 million complimentary seed kits, encouraging the shift to hybrid varieties alongside traditional crops. Subsidies of up to ₹25 lakh will be provided for establishing 1,000 processing units, starting this rabi season.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate projects worth ₹946.52 crore for livestock development and lay the foundation stone for a ₹219-crore undertaking. Significantly, India’s first IVF laboratory in the North-East will be established under this initiative.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar