Chhattisgarh's agriculture and rural development gets a boost with joint efforts of Center and State: Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Chief Minister Shri Vishnu deo Sai hold high-level review

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Chhattisgarh's agriculture and rural development gets a boost with joint efforts of Center and State: Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Chief Minister Shri Vishnu deo Sai hold high-level review Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan lauds Atal Digital SuvidhaKendras, hailing them as a game-changer for digital empowerment in rural areas The AmritSarovar scheme will generate employment opportunities for villagers and deliver concrete outcomes in water conservation: Union Minister instructs to integrate with local livelihoods Shri Chouhan emphasized that to increase farmers' income; efforts required not only in traditional farming but also in allied areas like animal husbandry, horticulture, and fisheries ‘ViksitKrishiSankalpAbhiyan’ will commence from 29th May: Shri Chouhan Posted On: 13 MAY 2025 5:41PM by PIB Delhi Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmer Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Chief Minister, Shri Vishnu deo Sai, conducted a comprehensive review of the Panchayat & Rural Development and Agriculture departments' work at the Secretariat (Mahanadi Bhawan), Raipur, Chhattisgarh today. The meeting reviewed the effective implementation of state and central government schemes and discussed future development strategies.Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan praised the Chhattisgarh government's commitment and administrative style, saying the state has done exemplary work in agriculture and rural development. He emphasized that empowering the concept of developed villages and happy farmers is a priority to achieve the vision of a developed India. During the review of the Panchayat & Rural Development department's schemes, Union Minister Shri Chouhan stressed the need to link the 'AmritSarovar' scheme with local livelihoods, which would provide employment to villagers and yield tangible results in water conservation.The Union Minister assured the state government that he would consider revising the labour budget under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) as per their request. He also reviewed the progress of the Pradhan MantriAwasYojana (Gramin) and emphasized the need for swift completion of approved houses and physical verification of new surveys. Shri Chouhan appreciated the Prime Minister's Gram SadakYojana and expressed satisfaction with the progress of construction work under the NiyadNelanar scheme in Naxal-affected areas, saying it is taking development to remote and challenging areas of the state. The Union Minister lauded the 'Atal Digital SuvidhaKendras' launched by the Chhattisgarh government in gram panchayats, calling it a revolutionary step towards digital empowerment in the rural economy. He suggested that this innovation to be studied and replicated in other states. Reviewing the agriculture sector, Shri Chouhan emphasized that to increase farmers' income; efforts required not only in traditional farming but also in allied areas like animal husbandry, horticulture, and fisheries. He encouraged the adoption of scientific farming practices, high-quality seeds, organic farming, and crop rotation. Informing about an upcoming initiative‘Viksit KrishiSankalpAbhiyan’ by the Central Government, Shri Chouhan said a team of scientists would be visit various districts in the state to train farmers in practical and scientific farming techniques. He urged the state government for actively participate in this initiative of the central government. Concluding the meeting, Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed confidence that together, the Central and State Governments will take Chhattisgarh to new heights of development in agriculture and rural development through innovative experiments and commitment. Chief Minister Shri Vishnu deo Sai stated that the Chhattisgarh government considers rural development and agriculture as the backbone of the state. The Chief Minister also highlighted that it's a shared responsibility to reach development to remote and deprived areas of the state with the support of the Central Government, and the Chhattisgarh government is firmly committed to fulfilling this responsibility.Shri Sai said that making the rural economy self-reliant, taking digital services to the last mile, and providing skill-based employment to youth is true good governance. He emphasized that their strategy is to bring about change in people's lives, not just limiting schemes to statistics. The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Shri Vijay Sharma, Agriculture Minister Shri Ramvichar Netam, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri Subodh Singh, Principal Secretary Panchayat Department Smt. Niharika Barik, Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri P. Dayanand, Additional Secretary,Department of Land Resources, Government of India Shri R. Anand, Joint Secretary, Rural Development Department Shri Amit Shukla, Advisor, Ministry of Agriculture Shri Naveen Kumar Vidyarthi, Agriculture Production Commissioner Smt. Shahla Nigar, Secretary, Public Works Department Dr. Kamalpreet Singh, and other senior administrative officials. ******* PSF/KSR/AR (Release ID: 2128420)