Nitin Gadkari advises farmers to become 'Urjaadata'

Ambala, June 20

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari today said that merely rice, wheat, sugarcane and maize would not eliminate the poverty of farmers, and that along with being “annadata”, they should also become “urjaadata” (energy provider).

For electric buses

• Gadkari said the roadways fleet should be changed from diesel to electric buses, the fare should be reduced and air-conditioned buses be provided to make the transport department profitable
• The Union minister laid the stone of the 23-km Ambala Green Field Six-Lane Ring Road project and inaugurated the 15-km Ambala-Saha road on NH-444A
• Gadkari ordered the rectification of 290 black spots on the national highways in the state

He was addressing a gathering at Kutail village in Karnal after laying the foundation stone for the construction of the 35-km Karnal Green Field Six-lane Ring Road Project at a cost of about Rs 1,690 crore.

Gadkari said the ring road from Shamgarh village on the NH-44 to Barota road would not only reduce traffic congestion of Karnal city, but also reduce the cost of running vehicles.

“Haryana has ideal land for agriculture. It has good farmers and good per acre yield. I have been saying it for a long time that the farmers of our country should also become ‘urjaadata’. We imports fossil fuels worth around Rs 16 lakh crore. The farmers should start growing energy-producing crops. Ethanol is being produced from rice straw, broken rice, maize, bamboo, sugarcane juice and molasses. They should focus on energy crops, use biotechnology and become energy providers. Of Rs 16 lakh crore, if Rs 10 lakh crore goes to farmers, they will become prosperous and powerful,” he said.

“The country is changing and we are the fastest growing economy in the world. Haryana has the potential of being a big exporter of vegetables in the international market,” he said.