Union Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh today asserted that welfare of the farming community is the welfare of the nation. The BJP Government at the Centre was making efforts to introduce a uniform marketing policy across the nation, he said.
He was speaking after laying foundation stone for Horticulture University, Agriculture University and Center for Excellence at Mulugu in Medak district along with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today. It was named after Telangana freedom fighter Konda Lakshman Bapuji. Singh noted that Konda Lakshman was like Gandhi of Telangana. It was good to honour Konda Lakshman by naming the agriculture university after him, he said, adding that the Centre has taken up a campaign with a slogan of “less water – more cultivation” across the nation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was according top priority to welfare of farmers, who are food providers to the nation and the world. He stressed the need for protecting their interests. With favorable atmosphere, Telangana region has better agrarian conditions for all types of crops, he said. Radhamohan Singh attributed the present farm sector crisis to the negligence of the previous Congress Government.
Radhamohan Singh also expressed concern that the farmers were put to misery for the past 10 years by denying them minimum support or remunerative price for their produce. “We are supposed to extend a helping hand to the farmers and check the menace of middlemen, who were reducing farmers as penniless. The e-marketing policy was giving better results. We have introduced cards for soil tests for the farmers that will help them.”
Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatraya, who was also present at the event, stressed the need for offering modern methods of cultivation and latest cultivation practices. Telangana has favourable atmosphere for multiple crops, he added. (NSS)