Progress linked to wellbeing of farmers: Mulayam

UTTAR PRADESH Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav said here today that the country?s development depended on the progress of agriculture and well being of farmers. The developed nations attached importance to agriculture for development and emerged powerful, he said.

UTTAR PRADESH Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav said here today that the country’s development depended on the progress of agriculture and well being of farmers. The developed nations attached importance to agriculture for development and emerged powerful, he said.

HT Image

Yadav was addressing a gathering after the inauguration of the counselling for the first combined agriculture and technology entrance examination–2006 at the Indian Sugarcane Research Institute, Dilkusha on Rae Bareli road. He handed over the admission cards to Viresh Kumar, Ashish Kumar Pandey and Pradeep Kumar who secured first, second and third positions, respectively in the combined entrance examination for admission to the three agriculture universities in the State.

The chief minister appealed to the vice-chancellors of agricultural universities and scientists to form a team under the chairmanship of the Agriculture Production Commissioner to carry out research on high-yielding seeds and investments in the farm sector for making agriculture profitable. He said that agricultural scientists and students of agricultural universities should also play an effective role in communicating to the farmers the high yielding qualities of seeds and other inputs for increasing the per hectare yield.

Yadav expressed satisfaction over the progress of agriculture in the country, but said it should be more in view of the increasing requirement of foodgrains. He regretted that problems of farmers in the Vidharba region had not been solved despite the economic package given to the farmers by the Centre. He said that while about 2000 farmers committed suicide in other states of the country during the last two years, no incident had been reported from anywhere in Uttar Pradesh.

The chief minister said that the area of cultivable land had considerably decreased owing to concrete jungle. The State organised Bhoomi Sena for reclamation of infertile land and make it cultivable. He said the State government strived to ensure a remunerative price to farmers for their produce including sugarcane.

Minister of State for Technical Education, Yogesh Pratap Singh welcomed the chief minister and said the counselling would continue till July 27. Agriculture Minister Ashok Bajpai presided over the session. Prominent among those present were chief secretary Naveen Chandra Bajpai, APC Anees Ansari, principal secretary Agriculture Education VK Sharma, vice-chancellors of agricultural universities SM Ilyas, MM Agarwal and MP Yadav and secretaries to CM Anita Singh and Chandrama Prasad, and secretary Information Nitin Ramesh Gokaran.