Hyderabad: Around 4,000 fertiliser shops in Telangana will be turned into one-stop shops for farmers starting Thursday, as part of the nationwide launch of the PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendras scheme.
Explaining that these shops would be called PM Kisan Seva Kendras in Telangana, Union minister G. Kishan Reddy said on Wednesday that as many as 1.5 lakh shops across the country will become part of the scheme, while around 2.8 lakh more fertiliser shops will be covered under the programme in a phased manner.
“Farmers will no longer have to run around different shops for different supplies. Be it seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and other agro chemicals, and farming implements, everything will be available at the Kisan Seva Kendras,” he said.
Addressing mediapersons on the day, Kishan Reddy said that Modi will inaugurate the scheme after addressing farmers across the nation from a fertiliser shop in Rajasthan.
Kishan Reddy said that these revamped fertiliser shops will also offer technical services, such as soil, water, and seed testing, in addition to providing information to farmers on best practices and guidance on getting the best returns from their fields.
“The Modi government, since 2014, has been striving to make farming increasingly profitable and has been offering a slew of services, including subsidies of around '24,000 a year per acre and better MSP for produce,” he said.
“Farm equipment can be either taken on rent, lease or bought by farmers from these centres. And at the district-level dealers, drones for spraying pesticides will also be available for rent,” Kishan Reddy said.
He also said that WhatsApp groups will be formed for farmers served by each revamped fertiliser shop and that weather information, crop activity timelines and other necessary communication will be made through these groups. “The Kendras will also help farmers with the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana that offers crop insurance to farmers,” Kishan Reddy said.
