Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr Manik Saha on Saturday  said that the progress of the country is not possible without the development of farmers.

He also mentioned that the state government has launched a Unified Farmers Database to record farmers' details, link land records, and conduct real-time crop surveys.

Additionally, the government is establishing two Centres of Excellences for the scientific cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, as well as providing high-quality planting materials.

Dr Saha said this after attending a virtual programme for the release of the 18th installment of the PM-Kisan scheme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the State Agricultural Research Centre, A.D. Nagar, Agartala.

“I want to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of Tripura, as around Rs 47.68 crore will be received by farmers in this state. In the 17th installment, around 2.59 lakh farmers were benefitted. So far, we have received Rs 737.49 crore, and now an additional Rs 47 crore,” he said.

Dr. Saha also noted that schemes like providing Rs 6,000 annually to farmers will assist them with purchasing paddy, seeds, and other necessities.

“We had never heard of such support before. India was known as a poor country. However, after 2014, when Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, many new initiatives were introduced. Our country is largely agricultural, and if we fail to develop our farmers, the progress of the country will not be possible. Due to PM Modi’s leadership, the economic growth of our country has significantly increased. After just one push of a button by PM Modi, the money is directly transferred to everyone’s account through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer). This was unimaginable before. Now, there are no middlemen,” said Dr. Saha.

He further highlighted that under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, around 13.89 lakh farmers are covered in Tripura.

Additionally, the state has launched the Mukhya Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, benefiting 3.81 lakh farmers.

“We have created a Unified Farmers Database with 3.3 lakh farmers already uploaded to the portal. Now, everything must be digitized, including the registration of farmers, real-time crop surveys, and linking of land records. We have also decided to set up two Centres of Excellence at Lembuchara and Birchandra Manu for the scientific cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, as well as to supply the best quality planting materials,” he added.