Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijaybhai Rupani today urged farmers of vanbandhu-tribal areas to change their traditional mind set for farming and to adopt modern farming technologies.

He was addressing more than 76,000 tribal farmers at the e-launching of distribution of ‘Fertilizer-Seed Kits’, worth of Rs. 35-crore, under ‘The Agricultural Diversification Scheme’. On the occasion the tribal farmers had gathered from 53 tehsils of 14 tribal districts covering from Ambaji to Umargam (Umbergaon) on areas.

On the occasion of e-launching, others who joined the Chief Minister from Gandhinagar were included Minister for Tribal Welfare Mr. Ganpatsinh Vasava and Minister of State Mr. Ramanbhai Patkar. On other side, Members of Parliament, MLAs, District-Taluka Presidents, and beneficiary Vanbandhus from tribal areas covering Chhota Udepur, Dahod, Surat and Valsad had attended the occasion through video conferencing.

Rupani termed the e-launching distribution of ‘Fertilizer-Seed Kits’ as an opportunity to express Gujarat’s determination to beat Corona by resuming normal life to live with Corona – to fight against Corona.

He recalled that Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, had launched the Vanbandhu Welfare Scheme to provide opportunities to the tribal for education, health, electricity, agriculture-irrigation and others so tribal also join into main stream.

He categorically stated that the development is incomplete as long as it is deprived to the tribal living in the interior areas.

The Chief Minister also stated that the distribution of ‘Fertilizer-Seed Kits’ worth of Rs. 35-Crore to Vanbandhus of Gujarat would be contributing towards fulfilling the dream to make ‘India Atmanirbhar (Self-reliant India Mission) and to double the income of farmers envisaged by Modi.

He also said that the Agricultural Diversification Scheme is an important program of the Tribal Department towards making Gujarat’s small and marginal tribal farmers as self reliant. Under this scheme, tribal farmers are given the benefit of improved vegetable seeds for 1 acre of land or seeds for maize crop. As a fertilizer the farmers are also given 45 kg of urea, 50 kg of NPK and 50 kg of ammonium sulphate. So far, the Scheme has approximately benefited nearly 5-lakh tribal farmers.

Rupani also expressed that the state government is determined to make provision of subsidy in its Atmanirbhar Package of Rs. 350-crore for farm-labourers and labourers to provide housing benefits to the tribal farm-labourers and labourers, who have gone to their native places due to prevalent ‘COVID-19’ situation, on their return to Gujarat.

Distribution of Fertilizer-Seed Kits’ to farmers under the Agricultural Diversification Scheme will be undertaken in the tribal districts by Gujarat State Fertilizer Agro Tech Limited GATL, a subsidiary of Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation, in close collaboration with the Tribal Development Department.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Minister for Tribal Welfare Ganpatsinh Vasava.

The e-launching event was also graced by GSFC Chairman and Managing Director Arvindbhai Agarwal, Anupam Anand – Tribal Development Secretary, and R. S. Ninama – CEO of D-SAG, and others.

– Information