Chief Minister Honours Progressive Farmers at Dialogue on ‘Kisan Aur Kisani – Protsahan Aur Parinam’
Raipur, August 4, 2026/
Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai said that agriculture is not merely a means of livelihood but the foundation of Chhattisgarh’s culture, economy, and social life. He said the State Government is committed to making farming more profitable, modern, and sustainable by expanding irrigation facilities, promoting crop diversification, encouraging modern agricultural technologies and mechanisation, and supporting agriculture-based enterprises to increase farmers’ income. The Chief Minister made these remarks while addressing the dialogue programme on “Kisan Aur Kisani – Protsahan Aur Parinam” in Raipur, where he also honoured progressive farmers from different districts for excellence in farming, innovation, and their contribution to the agricultural sector.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Sai said that growing up in a farming family gave him first-hand experience of the challenges faced by farmers. He said that even while serving as a Union Minister of State, he remained closely connected with agriculture and regularly visited his village and fields.
The Chief Minister said that after assuming office, the State Government fulfilled its promises to farmers by ensuring better returns for their produce. He said Chhattisgarh is procuring paddy at Rs. 3,100 per quintal, with procurement up to 21 quintals per acre, and has also paid the pending paddy bonus of the previous two years. During the last Kharif marketing season, the State procured a record 141 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from nearly 25 lakh farmers, strengthening the rural economy.
He said the government is working in line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of doubling farmers’ income by ensuring remunerative prices, reducing production costs, and making essential agricultural resources available. He added that farmers are being encouraged to diversify beyond paddy cultivation, and suitable amendments have been made to the Krishak Unnati Yojana to support this objective.
To promote crop diversification, Shri Sai said that farmers cultivating pulses, oilseeds, maize, kodo, and kutki instead of paddy will receive Rs. 15,000 per acre as input assistance. He added that horticulture, vegetable cultivation, fisheries, animal husbandry, dairy farming, and minor forest produce-based livelihoods are also being promoted to create multiple sources of income for farmers.
Emphasising the importance of irrigation, the Chief Minister said the State Government is implementing new irrigation projects, barrages, anicuts, and canal expansion works to bring more agricultural land under irrigation. He said solar irrigation pumps are being provided to farmers, while drip and sprinkler irrigation systems and subsidies for modern agricultural machinery are being promoted to encourage mechanisation.
He announced that barrages worth nearly Rs. 2,000 crore will be constructed at Matnar and Deurgaon on the Indravati River in Bastar, benefiting thousands of farmers. Administrative approval of nearly Rs. 3,000 crore has also been granted for the Sikasar–Kodar Canal Linking Project, while nearly Rs. 2,800 crore has been sanctioned for the reconstruction and modernisation of various irrigation projects across the state.
Highlighting changing trends in agriculture, Shri Sai said women are emerging as Drone Didis, using drones to spray Nano DAP fertiliser and earning better incomes through modern technology. He added that many educated young people are leaving lucrative jobs to adopt modern farming and agriculture-based enterprises, reflecting growing confidence in the sector.
The Chief Minister said the agriculture sector has undergone significant transformation over the years. While farmers earlier depended on moneylenders for credit, they now receive timely institutional finance through schemes such as the Kisan Credit Card (KCC). He described the launch of the KCC Scheme by former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a historic initiative. He shared that farmers now receive KCC loans at zero per cent interest.
Shri Sai also said that with the weakening of Naxalism, Bastar has entered a new phase of development. Government schemes are reaching remote areas through the Bastar Munne and Niyad Nella Nar initiatives, while security camps that are no longer required are being converted into Seva Deras. Nearly 70 such camps are planned for transformation, and livelihood activities such as tamarind packaging have already begun at the Netanar Seva Dera.
Highlighting the state’s overall development, the Chief Minister said the new Industrial Policy has attracted investment proposals worth nearly Rs. 8 lakh crore, with projects in sectors such as semiconductors, textiles, and data centres expected to generate large-scale employment. He added that the government is also making rapid progress in education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Chhattisgarh now has premier institutions such as IIT, IIM, and AIIMS, while railway infrastructure is expanding with the upgradation of 32 railway stations, approval of the Kharsia–Parmalkasa railway line, and progress on the long-pending Katghora–Dongargarh railway project.
Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Lakhan Lal Dewangan, Vice-Chairman of the Chhattisgarh State Gau Seva Ayog Shri Rajeev Lochan Maharaj, Nai Duniya Editor Shri Satish Chandra Shrivastava, public representatives, agricultural experts, progressive farmers, and distinguished citizens were present on the occasion.
