President Ramnath Kovind, today, lauded the government’s effort to empower farmers in the country and said that the government stands by farmers and small farmers are the core of policies, adding that the Centre has taken several measures to increase their income.
Addressing the joint sessions of the Parliament, on the begining day of the Budget session, he said, he asserted that small-scale farmers have a significant role in the country’s development.
“Our small-scale farmers have a significant role in the country’s development; my government has always prioritised 80 per cent small-scale farmers. As part of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, over 11 crore families of farmers have benefited”, he said.
‘He further added that the government has procured more than 433 lakh metric tonnes of wheat, which benefited more than 50 lakh farmers. Lauding India’s fight against the novel coronavirus, Kovind said: “India’s capability to fight Covid-19 was evident in its vaccination program. In less than a year, we made a record of administering over 150 crore doses of vaccine. Today, we’re one of the leading nations in the world when it comes to the number of doses given.”
Listing measures that the government has taken to improve education in the country, the President said: “Several important steps have been taken to provide better opportunities in education, health and employment to people of Jammu and Kashmir. Work is underway on 2 AIIMS, besides 7 medical colleges there.”
Stating that the government has taken numerous measures to empower women, President Kovind said women empowerment is one of the top priorities of the government. “We’re witnesses to the success of the Ujjwala Yojana. Through the Mudra Yojana, the entrepreneurship and skills of women have received a boost”, he added.
With “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao”, he said that many positive results have come to the fore. Also, in an attempt to provide an equal status to the sons and daughters, my government has presented a Bill to increase the minimum age of marriage of women from 18 to 21 years, he said.
He recalled that the government is also running PM Svanidhi Yojana to benefit the street vendors. So far, 28 lakh street vendors have received monetary support worth over Rs 2,900 crore. The Centre is now connecting these vendors via online companies.
“We can also see the impact of the manner in which my government linked Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile, JAM trinity, to citizen empowerment. Thousands and thousands of people have received direct cash transfers during the pandemic,” he added.
President also went on to praise the Central government for its welfare schemes. “To ensure that no one returns home hungry, my govt distributed free ration to the poor every month as part of the PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojana”, he said.
President said that today, India is running the world’s largest food distribution program. Also, the Ayushman Bharat card has benefitted the poor. Availability of medicines at low prices at Jan Aushadi Kendra was also a great move, he added.
