No nation can be happy without farmers being happy: Taki

ZIRO, 19 Oct: “No nation can afford to be happy if farmers are not happy. Therefore, welfare of the farmers is of prime importance,” said minister for agriculture and allied Tage Taki during a Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) distribution event held at the Golden Jubilee Hall of district secretariat here on Wednesday.

Taki said, “Since 2014 Modi govt. had embarked upon mission mode for welfare of the farmers and so the need to saturate all PM Kisan beneficiaries with KCC falling under Kisan Bhagidari Prathamikta Hamari campaign was need of the hour in the state.”

Spelling out that KCC was not a loan but a rotation of farmer’s own efforts, Taki advised the farmers to use the KCC prudently and industriously. ‘If your crop harvest and income sours up, deposit your hard toiled money in your KCC account so that you are eligible for bigger loans for your farming ventures,’ he advised, while appealing them to enroll themselves at social security schemes designed especially for them like Atal Pension,

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojna to avail old age pensions and accidental insurance benefits available at very nominal premiums.

Appreciating the positive role of lead bank manager A.K Choudhary in facilitating substantial loans to farmers of the district, Taki appealed to the PRI leaders to disseminate information on Atmanirbhar schemes and programmes to the people at the grassroots and urged them and the district administration to create more linkages and facilitate more people to take up farming as their profession.

“70 percent of the people of our state are busy in politics and unionism while only 30 percent of our population is into farming. We should try and reverse this trend,” he remarked.

To enable universal access to concessional institutional credit, GoI had initiated a drive in mission mode during 2020 for saturating all PM-KISAN beneficiaries with KCC to help all such farmers to get short term loan for crop, animal and fish rearing at a maximum interest of 4 percent on timely repayment.

The KCC target for Lower Subansiri district had been fixed at 4790 of which 4349 or 92.35 percent targets had been achieved so far.

On the occasion, Taki handed over KCC to few farmers while the rest would be distributed to enlisted farmers by the concerned Department accordingly.

Lower Subansiri deputy commissioner Bamin Nime, district agriculture officer Tasso Butung, lead bank manager A.K Choudhary, ZPC Likha Sangchorre and ZPM Tasso Tana also spoke and briefed the farmers. (DIPRO)