Agriculture and farmers’ welfare government’s top priority: Shivraj Chouhan

New Delhi, June 15

Newly appointed Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said that agriculture and farmers are the top priority of the Centre as serving the farmers is an act of worship.

In his inaugural press conference, Chouhan underscored the pivotal role of agriculture in India’s socio-economic fabric, labelling it as the largest job-creating sector in the country. He said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was committed to the welfare of farmers and on June 18, Modi’s first programme after taking over as Prime Minister for the third term is being organised in Varanasi where he will disburse the 17th instalment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi into the bank accounts of nearly nine crore beneficiary farmers.

Chouhan revealed that his first four days in office were dedicated to comprehensive reviews of all departments under both the Agriculture and Rural Development ministries. He said he would tackle the pertinent issues affecting these sectors, outlining plans for an ambitious 100-day agenda aligned with Prime Minister’s directives.

“Prime Minister Modi has consistently prioritised agriculture and the well-being of farmers over the past decade,” Chouhan affirmed, acknowledging the PM’s steadfast initiatives aimed at agricultural welfare.

The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister stressed agriculture’s indispensable role in realising the vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India).

Chouhan said that with the help his team he has prepared the first 100-day work plan aimed at bolstering agricultural resilience and prosperity nationwide.