The state government has set an August 15 deadline to enrol over nine lakh farmers who are yet to sign up for the PM Kisan Yojana, a centrally sponsored income support scheme initiated in 2018, state agriculture minister Badal Patralekh said on Wednesday.

While addressing Kharif Workshop-2020, organised by the state agriculture department via video-conferencing, the minister said that the under the central income support scheme, small and marginal farmer families with combined land holding of up to 2 hectare will get Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments for agricultural activities.

“So far, 23 lakh farmers are enrolled in this scheme. But we have discovered that over 9 lakh eligible farmers are still to be covered. During a review meeting with chief minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday, the August 15 deadline has been sounded to include the remaining farmers,” he said, directing all district agriculture officers and other stakeholders to launch aggressive drives in their areas.

The state agriculture department is also working out plans to set up model organic farms in all 24 districts to encourage farmers to take up organic farming. He has asked all districts to prepare detailed project reports and send it to the headquarters.

To support all-round help to farmers who suffered losses during the lockdown in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the state government has provided a Rs 200 crore financial assistance package exclusively for agriculture and allied activities. Badal said they would roll out the assistance at the earliest.

Notably, the timely arrival of the monsoon in second week of June has helped Jharkhand begin sowing of kharif crops. According to the state agriculture department’s daily crop coverage report, of the 18 lakh hectare targeted paddy coverage this year, sowing in over 6 lakh hectare had been done till date, ie, July 22.