PM likely to visit Bihar in February: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Patna, Jan 24 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to be in Bihar next month for disbursement of benefits under the pro-farmers scheme Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, Union Minister for Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Friday.

Chouhan briefly interacted with journalists after winding up a day-long tour of the state.

He said, "On February 24 a tour of the Prime Minister is tentatively scheduled at Bhagalpur. He is likely to disburse benefits under the Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. He might also speak about historic steps, taken during his tenure, for making agriculture more productive and diverse".

The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister was also asked about the assembly polls in Delhi, scheduled next month, and Bihar where elections are due in less than a year.

Chouhan replied, "Elections are nowadays fought and won on the plank of development. The polls in Bihar are far away. But in Delhi, I can predict a win for the BJP. The Aam Aadmi Party led by former CM Arvind Kejriwal is on its way out".

Chouhan also showered praise on the NDA government in Bihar, headed by JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar, for making "full use" of budgetary assistance given by the Centre for agriculture, adding, "The state's farmers should rest assured that greater help will be at hand in the next budget".

The Union Agriculture minister was visibly impressed with the "miracle" brought about by "hard-working farmers of Bihar on its fertile soil", especially in cultivation of crops particular to the state like "makhana" and "litchi".

"The government is sensitive to the needs of the farmers. We have therefore decided to bring in mechanisation for cultivation of farming of makhana, which as of now requires a lot of hard work by hand", said the Union minister.

He added, "Bihar is also known for its rich produce of pulses (dalhan). To help cultivators, the central government has decided to provide minimum support price for urad, arhar and masur".

Earlier, Chouhan had attended a function in Samastipur, on the birth anniversary of former Bihar Chief Minister and Bharat Ratna awardee Karpoori Thakur which was attended, among others, by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Chouhan was also scheduled to visit Bhagalpur later in the day but the programme had to be cancelled because of bad weather. PTI NAC RG

Source: PTI