The Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today felicitated the progressive farmers from Haryana by calling them to the Parliament House as he had promised and had lunch with them. It may be noted that on the 8th of October, 2023, Shri Dhankhar had visited Hisar in Haryana, where he inaugurated the Krishi Vikas Mela at Chaudhary Charan Singh Agricultural University. While addressing the farmers in Hisar, he had invited them to Delhi to visit the new Parliament building.
Acting on his words, today more than fifty award-winning farmers from Haryana visited the Parliament House today. The Vice President interacted with the farmers and honoured them with certificates and shawls. It is noteworthy that these farmers were awarded by the Haryana Government for their excellent performance by using innovative technologies in various fields like agriculture, horticulture, dairy and fisheries.
Addressing the farmers, the Vice-President described them as the backbone of the country's economy and said that being a farmer is a matter of pride.
Underlining the importance of agriculture in our economy, he said, “When the farmer is happy, it brings happiness to the whole country & all sections of the society enjoy prosperity!”
Expressing his happiness over the Prime Minister introducing him in the Rajya Sabha as 'Kisan Putra', the Vice President said that he has been diligently visiting the institutions which are related to farmers' welfare.”
Congratulating the farmers on receiving awards from the Government of Haryana, he said that they are a source of inspiration for others and people should emulate them.
The Vice-President also highlighted that there is a huge trade ^ business opportunity in agricultural products and food items, and today’s youth educated from IIT, IIM are also coming into this area. He appealed that farmers and farmers' sons and daughters should also come forward in this. Citing the example of milk, Shri Dhankhar said, “Tjere are many milk products that can be made, but farmers are not producing them. Why? Why don't farmers form a group and sell products like buttermilk, curd, cheese. More products can be added subsequently, and branding can be done with the name of the village.”
Referring to various farmer-friendly initiatives initiated by the government such as the PM Kisan Yojana, Soil Health Card, FPO, and more, he stated, "I say this with utmost seriousness that India's Prime Minister has placed a significant emphasis on the welfare of farmers, and I have studied the policies put in place for their benefit by him. I urge you to avail the benefits of these programs. Furthermore, he went on to say, "The vision that Chaudhary Charan Singh held, our current Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, is turning it into a ground reality for the people of India.”
Appealing to move ahead from routine, traditional agriculture, Mr. Dhankhar suggested farmers to “think new, and diversify their farming activities into new areas.”
On this occasion, Dr (Smt) Sudesh Dhankhar, Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri J.P Dalal, Rajya Sabha MP, Shri Biplab Kumar Dev, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Department of Haryana, Shri Vijendra Kumar, Director General of the Department, Dr. Narhari Singh Bangar, and several other dignitaries were present.
The text of the Vice President's speech is as follows -
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1967348
