Extensive exercise on agricultural reforms being undertaken across country to ensure that farmers get fair price for their crop, says PM
OUR CORRESPONDENT / NEW DELHI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that an extensive exercise on agricultural reforms was being undertaken across the country to ensure that the farmers get a fair price for their crop. In his 42nd edition of Mann Ki Baat programme on All India Radio today, PM said that Government was connecting local village mandis to wholesale markets and subsequently with the global market.
He said, twenty-two thousand rural haats in the country will be upgraded by creating the necessary infrastructure and these will be integrated with APMC and e-NAM platform, so that farmers will not have to go to distant places for selling their produce.
The Prime Minister said, in this year’s budget a big decision has been taken to ensure that farmers get a fair price for their produce. He said, Minimum Support Price of notified crops will be fixed at least one and a half times of their cost.
Mr Modi said, India has now moved ahead from the conventional approach in the health sector. He said, all departments and ministries are working together for Swasth Bharat and stress is being laid on affordable health along with preventive health. He said, preventive health care is the least costly and the easiest one.
Mr Modi said, extensive work is also going on to set up Health Wellness Centres across the country. He said, the first necessity for a healthy life is cleanliness. He said, sanitation coverage has almost doubled and risen to around 80 percent.
He said, efforts are being extensively undertaken to make health care accessible and affordable for the common man. He said, more than three thousand Jan Aushadhi Kendras have been opened across the country and more than eight hundred medicines are being provided there at an affordable price.
TEXT OF PM’S MANN KI BAAT -42 EPISODE, MARCH 25
Mr Modi appealed to the listeners of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ to provide information about Jan Aushadhi Kendras to the needy ones as it will cut their expense on medicines. He said, the cost of heart stent for heart patients has been reduced to 85 per cent and knee implants cost has also been regulated and reduced by 50 per cent to 70 per cent.
He said, under Ayushman Bharat Yojana, Government of India and insurance companies will jointly provide 5 lakh rupees for treatment to about 10 crore families.
He also said, MBBS seats have been increased to about 68 thousand in the 479 medical colleges. New AIIMS are being opened in various states with a view to providing better treatment and health facilities to people. He added that one new medical college will be set up for every three districts.
Mr Modi said, a target has been fixed to make the country TB-free by 2025 and it is an enormous task. He sought people’s cooperation to create awareness on it.
The Prime Minister said, Yoga has attained worldwide recognition as a measure of preventive health care. Mr Modi said, Yoga has now become a mass movement.
He said, during the previous three International Yoga Days, people in India and around the world participated with great zeal and enthusiasm and this time too, there is a need to ensure that people do yoga and motivate their family, friends and all others from now itself. He called upon people to devise a campaign to spread awareness on Yoga.
Mr Modi said, some people, through their creativity, have made him a Yoga teacher and have made 3-D animated videos of his yoga practice sessions. Mr Modi also called upon the youth to start a Fit India Movement.
The Prime Minister remembered the architect of Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar whose birth anniversary is on 14th of next month. He said, years ago, Dr Ambedkar spoke of India’s industrialization saying industry is an effective medium by which jobs could be made available to the poorest of the poor.
Mr Modi said, the campaign of Make in India is progressing successfully in consonance with Dr. Ambedkar’s dream of India as an industrial super power.
Gram-Swaraj Abhiyan is being organized from the birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar till 5th of May this year. He said, under the aegis of this campaign, separate programmes on village development, poverty alleviation and social justice will be held throughout the country.
The Prime Minister said, Dr Ambedkar gave focus on urbanization and taking forward his vision, Government has started smart city mission and urban mission.
The Prime Minister said, Dr Ambedkar talked about the importance of federalism, federal system and stressed on Center and states working together for the upliftment of the country. He said, the Centre has adopted co-operative federalism in all aspects of governance and going one step further adopting competitive cooperative federalism.
Mr Modi said, India has emerged as a bright spot in the global economy and today the highest foreign direct investment in the world is flowing to India. He said, the whole world is looking at India as a hub for investment, innovation and development.
FOLLOW INDIAN AWAAZ ON TWITTER