By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday inaugurated a mushroom village in Haridwar district and said his government was working to ensure prosperity of farmers.
On this occasion, he said that this initiative is a significant step towards increasing farmers’ income, strengthening the rural economy, and encouraging innovation in the agricultural sector. The Chief Minister appreciated the efforts stating that mushroom production is an effective enterprise that yields high profits with less land, less water, and less time, enabling farmers to earn additional income.
The Chief Minister said this project will provide new self-employment opportunities to local youth and women, and will also strengthen self-help groups economically. He expressed confidence that the mushroom village model will serve as an inspiration for other regions of the state and will provide a new direction to agriculture-based entrepreneurship.
Dhami said under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government is working towards the goal of doubling farmers’ income. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, financial assistance is being provided to 11 crore farmers across the country, including approximately 9 lakh farmers in Uttarakhand, he said.
The Chief Minister said that schemes like Kisan Maandhan Yojana, Millet Mission, Horticulture Development Mission, agricultural machinery subsidies, drip irrigation scheme, and Digital Agriculture Mission are empowering farmers. He said that increasing the limit of Kisan Credit Card from three lakh rupees to five lakh rupees in this year’s budget is a historic decision for farmers.
The Chief Minister said that the state government is also working with full commitment for the upliftment of farmers. Under the Farm Machinery Bank scheme, up to 80 percent subsidy is being provided on agricultural equipment, interest-free loans up to Rs 3 lakh and free irrigation facilities from canals.
He said an outlay of Rs. 200 crore has been made for the construction of polyhouses with the aim of increasing farmers’ income, under which approximately 350 polyhouses have been established so far. The Chief Minister said schemes such as the Rs. 20 per quintal bonus on wheat procurement, a Rs. 30 per quintal increase in sugarcane prices, the new apple policy, kiwi policy, State Millet Mission, and dragon fruit policy are taking agriculture and horticulture in the state to new heights. Along with this, thousands of farmers are directly benefiting from the promotion of aromatic crop cultivation through the ‘Mahak Kranti’ (Fragrance Revolution) initiative.
The Chief Minister said that the ‘House of Himalayas’ brand is being used to give state’s local agricultural products national and international recognition. He expressed confidence that all these efforts will make Uttarakhand self-reliant in the agricultural sector and ensure the prosperity of farmers.
At the end of the program, the Chief Minister appealed to the citizens of Buggawala and Haridwar areas to cooperate with the government’s efforts, saying that only through public participation can Devbhoomi Uttarakhand be made a leading state in all sectors, including agriculture.
The program was attended by Cabinet Minister Shri Ganesh Joshi, MLA Shri Pradeep Batra, the District Magistrate, Senior Superintendent of Police, all district-level officers, and a large number of local people.