Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 209/18

CHIEF MINISTER MEETS PRIME MINISTER IN NEW DELHI

Meghalaya Chief Minister Shri. Conrad K. Sangma today met Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi along with MDA partners and cabinet ministers at his residence in New Delhi to discuss on issues and challenges of the State.The meeting lasted for about 25 minutes, wherein the Chief Minister apprised the Prime Minister on the block allocation under planning which after the14th Finance Commission was changed. “We requested that these allocations should be made again and those projects should be revived because the North East states are very small. Therefore, the fund requirement even before the devolution of tax has gone up, it is not enough to fund developmental projects. We want those allocations to be revived again”, said the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister also informed the Prime Minister on the overall financial burden that Meghalaya is facing and sought central assistance to meet the state's requirements “We mentioned to Prime Minister about the National Games and we told him that the National Games coincides with 50 years of Statehood of Meghalaya. Therefore, it is very important and it should be celebrated in the best manner possible”, the Chief Minister added. The Chief Minister also requested for the Prime Minister's support not just from the point of sports infrastructure but even from the tourism, urban affairs, roads infrastructure, water supply, which are all linked to the hosting of National Games. “This event is an opportunity for us and it will bring a massive change in the state”, the Chief Minister said.

The issue of coal ban by the NGT was also discussed with the Prime Minister. “We have requested his personal intervention to resolve the issue at the earliest in the interest of all stakeholders”, he said. He also requested the Prime Minister to intervene on the long-pending inter-state boundary dispute with Assam. Minister for PWD (Roads), etc Shri. Prestone Tynsong, Health Minister Shri. A. L. Hek, Transport Minister Shri. Sniawbhalang Dhar, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister, Shri. Banteidor Lyngdoh, amongst others accompanied the Chief Minister.

Press Release No. 210/18

MEGHALAYA RECEIVES AGRICULTURE AWARD

Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi today awarded Meghalaya for its growth in the agriculture sector. Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Shri. Conrad K. Sangma received the award on behalf of the people of the State in presence of Agriculture Minister, Shri. Banteidor Lyngdoh. The Chief Minister has dedicated the award to the people of the State and especially the farmers. “It gives an immense pleasure that I have received the award on behalf of the farmers of the State, who have scripted a success story. It is just the beginning and we are looking forward to support our farmers in the best possible way”. The Chief Minister thanked the Prime Minister, Shri. Narendra Modi and the Ministry of Agriculture for recognizing Meghalaya with an award, which was possible because of the hard work of the farmers and the officials of the Department of Agriculture and other stakeholders. Shri. Modi handed over the award to the Chief Minister during the Krishi Unnati Mela held at India Agriculture Research Institute Mela Groud at Pusa in New Delhi.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that such Unnati Melas play a key role in paving the way for New India. He said that today, he has the opportunity to simultaneously speak to two sentinels of New India – farmers and scientists. He said farmers and scientists have to work together to transform agriculture. The Prime Minister specially mentioned the State of Meghalaya, which received an award for its achievements in agriculture, in the period under review. The Prime Minister appreciated the spirit and the hard work of our farmers, for their achievements in agriculture since independence. He said that today, there is record production of foodgrains, pulses, fruits and vegetables, and milk. He said that there are important challenges in agriculture today, which reduce the farmer’s income, and increase his losses and expenditure. He said the Government is working with a holistic approach to deal with these challenges. He said the aim remains to double farmers’ incomes, and make the farmers’ lives easier. Speaking about the progress towards this resolve, the Prime Minister said that more than 11 crore soil health cards have been distributed so far. 100 percent neem coating of Urea has also resulted in lowering expenditure on fertilizer, apart from raising productivity. He said that through the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, premiums have been lowered, capping on insurance removed, and claims amounts disbursed to farmers have gone up. He said the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana envisions water for every farm. 80,000 crore rupees are being spent to complete pending irrigation projects.

He said the Kisan Sampada Yojana is helping strengthen the supply chain from the farm to the market, and creating modern agriculture infrastructure. He said Operation Greens, announced in the recent budget, will be beneficial for farmers growing fruits and vegetables, especially Tomato, Onion and Potato. He said several Model Acts related to farmers’ welfare have been prepared, and States have been urged to implement them. The Prime Minister said that the Government is working to ensure that farmers get modern seeds, adequate power supply, and easy market access. He said that the Union Government has decided that for all notified crops, MSP will be at least one and a half times the cost. He said that for this purpose the cost will include elements such as labour, rent for machinery, cost of seeds and fertilizers, revenue being given to State Government, interest on working capital, and rent of leased land. The Prime Minister also said comprehensive steps are being taken for Agriculture Marketing Reforms. It is important to connect Rural Retail Markets with wholesale and global markets. He said that in the recent Union Budget, Grameen Retail Agriculture Markets have been envisaged. 22,000 rural haats will be upgraded with necessary infrastructure, and integrated with APMC and the e-NAM platform.

The Prime Minister also emphasized on the importance of Farmer Producer Organizations. He said Farmer Producer Organizations, would be given relief on income tax, on the lines of cooperative societies. He said a new chapter in Agriculture Marketing Reform is being added in this programme, with the e-marketing portal for organic products. He said that along with the Green Revolution and White Revolution, we must stress on Organic Revolution, Water Revolution, Blue Revolution, and Sweet Revolution. He said the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) will play a key role in this regard. The Prime Minister explained how honey-bees could be an important source of additional income for farmers. Similarly, he spoke of the benefits of solar farming. He said about 2.75 lakh solar pumps have reached farmers in the last three years. The Prime Minister also spoke of the Go-Bar Dhan Yojana for creating compost, bio-gas etc from bio-waste. The Prime Minister said crop residue burning has harmful effects, and if the crop residue is instead returned to the soil through machines, it will have beneficial effects. The Prime Minister said that the Government is working to ensure that adequate Agriculture Credit is available. The Prime Minister said that such events should also be held in far-flung areas. He also called for impact analysis of such events.