17-Oct-2022: PM inaugurates PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022, releases PM-KISAN Funds worth Rs 16,000 crore
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 at Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi today. The Prime Minister also inaugurated 600 Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samruddhi Kendras (PMKSK) under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers. Furthermore, the Prime Minister also launched Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana - One Nation One Fertiliser. During the event, the Prime Minister also released the 12th instalment amount of Rs. 16,000 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) through Direct Benefit Transfer. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Agri Startup Conclave and Exhibition. During the event, the PM also launched ‘Indian Edge’, an e-magazine on fertiliser. Shri Modi took a walkthrough of Theme Pavilion of Startup Exhibition and inspected the products on display.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister started by acknowledging the presence of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan and Jai Anusandhan in one premise, and said that we can see the live form of this mantra here today. He further elaborated that Kisan Sammelan is a means to make the lives of farmers easier, boost their capability and promote advanced agricultural techniques.
In his address at the “PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022”, the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said the Modi government has fulfilled all promises made to famers since 2014.
Shri Tomar said, PM-KISAN is the world’s biggest direct benefit scheme and is an outcome of the continued commitment of Shri Modi that received accolades for its scale, transparency and seamless transfer of funds.
Shri Tomar recalled, once a Prime Minister of India very famously remarked that of every rupee spent by the government, only 15 paise reached the intended beneficiary. But, today, every single penny of annual grant of Rs 6,000 directly reaches to farmer through DBT without any middlemen or any commission or cut money, the Minister remarked. He said, PM Kisan Samman is being implemented with full transparency aided by appropriate technology. The Minister also informed that the Centre and States are working closely to rectify the list of eligible farmers by removing the bogus beneficiaries.
Shri Tomar told a gathering of over 17,000 farmers present at Pusa Mela Ground and about one crore farmers who joined the event virtually across the country that Kisan Samman fund was never demanded by the farmers, but it was with a commitment of the Prime Minister to double the income of farmers and strengthen their financial wellbeing that the scheme was devised. The Minister said, the Samman grant of Rs 6000 to farmers and many other schemes of Modi Government are outside the other schemes meant for the welfare of poor, youth and women in the country.
Shri Tomar expressed happiness that today’s event brought farmers and Agri Start-ups on same platform. He said, apart from one crore farmers, who joined the event virtually, 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), 75 ICAR Institutes, 75 State Agricultural Universities, 600 PM Kisan Centres, 50,000 Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and 2 Lakh Community Service Centers (CSCs) attended the event in virtual mode.
Referring to inauguration of the Agri Startup Conclave and Exhibition by Shri Modi, the Agriculture Minister said that our farmers are skilled and innovative, but they don’t have any platform to showcase their talents. He said, innovative and educated youth of our country are working on various initiates like innovation of Precision Farming, Post-Harvest & Value Add Solutions, Allied Agriculture, Waste to Wealth, Mechanization for Small Farmers, Supply Chain Management & Argi-Logistic and working on both farming or non-farming sector.
Shri Tomar also informed that around 1500 start-ups are participating in the two-day Kisan Sammelan and 300 start-ups are showcasing their farm related innovations to increase production and productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and augment income, besides creating new job opportunities. The Minister also underlined that while only 80-100 startups were working in Agriculture sector in 2014, the number has grown to 2000 now and likely to touch the figure of 10,000 by 2025 due to enabling tech milieu provided by the Modi Government.
Shri Tomar said, with inauguration of 600 Prime Minister Kisan Samruddhi Kendra (PMKSK), the fertilizer retail shops will now be converted into one stop shop. He said, these centres will not only provide inputs to the farmers but also resolve their other types of problems. He said PMKSK will cater to the needs of the farmers in the country and provide Agri-inputs (fertilizers, seeds, implements etc.); testing that will provide facilities for soil, seeds and fertilizers; create awareness among farmers, provide information regarding various Government schemes and ensure regular capacity building of retailers at block/ district level outlets.
Speaking about One Nation One Fertilizer (ONOF) scheme, Shri Tomar said that now all type of fertilizers whether it is DAP, NPK or Urea, will be sold under one brand name "Bharat" to standardize fertiliser brands across the nation irrespective of the company that manufactures it.
14-Oct-2022: Agriculture Minister inaugurates the Coconut Community Farmers' Conference at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has said that the Centre will continue to provide all possible assistance to the farmers in the coastal states to promote coconut cultivation in the country. The efforts made in the field of research and development in the last few years have resulted in the development of new technologies in the field of farming and processing and further improved the available technologies. With the increase in the number of coconut based industries in the country, new products and many employment opportunities are also increasing in the market. Shri Tomar was addressing the Coconut Community Farmers' Conference in Coimbatore, Tamil Nādu.
Shri Tomar further said that he is happy to be among the coconut farmers, he congratulated the Coconut Development Board and Sugarcane Breeding Institute for their initiatives towards the prosperity of the coconut growers community. He said that the agriculture sector is the backbone of the country's economy, so it is the responsibility of the Central and State governments to strengthen it, promote it and ensure profitable farming for the farmers. The contribution of coconut cultivation in the agricultural economy is very important. India is a leader in coconut cultivation and amongst the world's three largest producers. Tamil Nadu contributes 21 percent of the area under coconut in the country and 26 percent of the production. Tamil Nadu ranks first in coconut processing activities and Coimbatore is first in terms of area under coconut cultivation, with an area of 88,467 hectares under coconut cultivation. Shri Tomar said that the farmers are making significant contribution in the development of coconut sector and increasing the agricultural economy. Coconut Development Board is forming a three-tier farmer group by integrating small and marginal farmers. Presently there are 697 Coconut Growers Societies, 73 Coconut Growers Federations and 19 Coconut Producing Companies in the State. Support has been given to set up 537 new processing units in India with a processing capacity of 3,638 million coconuts per year. This success has been achieved through the Mission Programme implemented by the Coconut Development Board in the country. Out of these, 136 units are from Tamil Nadu, which are creating employment opportunities and also helping improve the financial condition of the farmers.
Shri Tomar said that even after everything is favourable in the field of agriculture, farmers have to face natural disasters, which causes them losses. It is compensated through the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and the Tamil Nadu State Scheme. Agriculture contributes significantly to strengthen the economy, he said. Agriculture is so fundamental that it has helped tide over adverse conditions like Covid-19.
Shri Tomar said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has taken many steps for the betterment of agriculture sector in the last 8 years. Through the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan), more than Rs 2 lakh crore has been deposited in the accounts of about 11.50 crore farmers. In lieu of damage to crops due to natural calamity in last 6 years, claim amount of more than Rs.1.22 lakh crore has been deposited in the accounts of the farmers through the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Earlier, there was a provision of Rs 5,000 crore under the micro irrigation scheme, which has been increased to Rs 10,000 crores. 70 lakh hectare farming area has been brought under micro-irrigation. Under the Kisan Credit Card scheme, earlier crop loans were given to farmers only up to five to six lakh crore rupees only, which has been increased by the Prime Minister to about Rs. 18-and-a-half lakh crores. To improve the infrastructure in each and every village, a provision of Rs. one lakh crore Agri Infra Fund has been made. Farmers, group of farmers, FPOs, PACS, Krishi Upaj Mandis all can use this to develop warehouse, cold storage or infrastructure as per requirement in villages. The government is trying to make farmers grow remunerative crops, setting up processing units through FPOs, for which arrangements for loans and subsidies have also been made.
Shri Tomar said that the schemes of the Central Government are for the prosperity of the farmers and to bring happiness in their lives. He assured that the farmers should submit the projects in collaboration with the State Government, the Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Modi is standing with farmers and matching step by step for the development of the farmers.
During the programme, the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of Tamil Nadu, Shri M.R.K. Paneer Selvam, Vice Chairman, Coconut Development Board, Shri K.R. Narayan, CEO and Joint Secretary of Union Agriculture Ministry Dr. Vijay Lakshmi, Central Horticulture Commissioner Shri Prabhat Kumar, Vice Chancellor Geeta Lakshmi, Director of Sugarcane Breeding Institute and local public representatives and Central-State Government officials and farmer were present.
10-Oct-2022: Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurates 4th Heli-India Summit 2022
Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia today said that a civil enclave will be built in Jammu at a cost of Rs 861 crores and the Srinagar’s present terminal will be expanded three times from 20,000 square meters to 60,000 square meters at a cost of Rs 1500 crores. Sh. Scindia said this while inaugurating 4th Heli-India Summit 2022 with the theme ‘Helicopters for last Mile Connectivity’ at Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre, Srinagar, in presence of Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Sh. Manoj Sinha.
During the summit, Sh. Scindia said that the decrease in VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 26.5 percent to one percent by the J&K government has set a new dawn for air connectivity in the Union territory with 360 percent increase in refueling, thus increasing the air connectivity to Jammu and Kashmir.
Praising PM Narendra Modi for bringing a revolution in the Civil Aviation sector in India from 2014 onwards, Sh. Scindia said that from 1947 to 2014, the country had only 74 airports, but now the number has increased to 141, with 67 added in last seven years which shows the pace of progress in the Civil Aviation sector. The government is committed to increase the number to above 200 in the next few years, Sh. Scindia added.
Sh. Scindia said that the Civil Aviation has now become the need of the hour not only for India but for humankind across the world as it always brings with it two important multipliers, the economic multiplier and the employment multiplier. The sector has huge impact with economic multiplier of 3.1 and employment multiplier of 6, the Minister informed. Therefore, the Civil Aviation across the world today forms a very important cog of the wheel of economic development, the Minister added.
During the summit, Sh. Scindia said that helicopters have multifarious roles, providing urban connectivity which is no more an elitist prerogative in India but is based on PM Narendra Modi’s vision ‘Sab Ude, Sab Jude'. The other roles of helicopter service has been the emergency medical services and disaster management during floods, rescue operations etc., the Minister informed. Jammu & Kashmir has set an example of the best use of helicopter service when it erected transmission lines and towers using heli-cranes (sky cranes) on the Peer Panjal mountain range, the Minister added.
Sh. Scindia further said that Civil Aviation Ministry not only organizes summits but also monitors the progress of ‘Sankalps’ taken from one summit to another. During the 3rd Heli-India Summit at Dehradun, the eight Sankalps taken like providing Heli-Sewa Portal, Heli-Disha, Helicopter Accelerator Cell, doing away with the landing & parking charges for helicopter service, creation of specific helicopter corridors, helipads to be given priority while framing DPR for all new highways, upgradation of Juhu airbase to accommodate night operations etc. were taken to their logical end. HeliSewa portal is fully online and being used by all operators for obtaining landing permissions to helipads, and it also is creating a database of helipads in the country. HeliDisha, the guidance material on helicopter operations for State administration has been distributed to 780 districts. The Helicopter Accelerator Cell is fully active in resolving helicopter issues and the advisory group of industry representatives is helping identify problems areas. “We have waived off landing and parking charges for helicopters at airports and we have started helicopter sensitization training of ATC officers for speedier helicopter traffic handling. Three helicopter corridors from Mumbai-Pune, Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar, and Shamshabad-Begumpet have been created and new IFR corridors are being planned. Working with MoRTH, we have been able to allot helipad spaces from the design stage for all future expressways and major highways so that it can be used for the evacuation of accident victims. And we have already commenced work on the upgradation of Juhuhelibase which is the largest in the country, to accommodate night operations and helicopter IFR routes using GAGAN.”, he added.
The Minister informed that today the guidelines on Fractional Ownership Model have been released to help grow the non-scheduled operations. “While our scheduled operations are on the fast track and we have increased the fleet size from 400 aeroplanes in 2013 to more than 700 in 2021-22, through these guidelines, we should be able to spur growth in the non-scheduled fleet too. Fractional ownership will lower the barrier on the cost of acquisition of helicopters and aeroplanes through pooled capital by multiple owners. This will allow companies and individuals to minimise their capital outflow by sharing the purchase cost, reducing their exposure to risks and making it financially easier to run a NSOP business. Fractional Ownership Model has the potential to energize the NSOP segment by democratising ownership of aircraft and it can be a key driver to boost the number of aircraft existing in the NSOP industry. The helicopter industry should be recognised for its social service. It is not a transportation vehicle but a transformation tool, it can be used not only for economic development but could also to transform lives.”, he added.
Shri Scindia said that we have also decided to incubate a HEMS pilot called Project Sanjeevani by deploying a helicopter in the next few weeks to provide emergency medical services at AIIMS Rishikesh. The helicopter will be based at the hospital at 20 min notice and will have a service cover to an area of 150 km radius. It is the intention of the Govt to expand medical outreach and access to trauma care services to a wider population base across the country using the speed advantage and mobility of helicopters. We will use the learnings from Project Sanjeevani to explore the viability of the concept, its benefits, and the attendant risks and later articulate a national policy on HEMS before committing larger resources.
Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Sh. Manoj Sinha, who was special guest during the summit said that the decision taken by the J&K UT government of decreasing VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 26.5 percent to one percent has increased air connectivity to J&K, with more than 100 flights being operated from J&K now.
Sh. Sinha further said that J&K has seen a new dawn of development after the abrogation of Article 370, with increased road connectivity, air connectivity and development of railways infrastructure with work on Rupees one lakh crore worth projects underway in J&K.
In terms of railway connectivity, Jammu and Kashmir will be connected to Kanyakumari by the next year, Sh. Sinha informed.
Besides other dignitaries, the summit was attended by Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Sh. Rajiv Bansal, Principal Secretary, Department of Civil Aviation, J&K, Sh. Alok Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ms. Usha Padhee and Sh. Remi Maillard, Chairman FICCI Civil Aviation Committee and President and MD, Airbus India.
8-Sep-2019: First helicopter summit
The Ministry of Civil Aviation organised India's first-ever helicopter summit. The Indian Air Force was invited at the summit to talk on the "role of IAF helicopters in MEDEVAC (Medical evacuation) at the national level.
The conclave was attended by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the Aviation Secretary, and the Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand, amongst others.
Several officials of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), many leaders from the tourism industry and officials from all Indian helicopter operators were present at the conclave.