Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, in the state capital to launch a funding scheme for farmers on Saturday, defended the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was the need of the hour.

Presiding over a function organised by a local daily before the launch of the Mukhyamantri Krishi Ashirvad Yojana, Naidu said some people were wrongly equating the move to take away Jammu and Kashmir’s special status as “emergency” not realising that the issue was debated in Parliament in 1962.

“Jammu Kashmir me Article 370 hatana emergency nahin, urgency hai. Is article ko vyapak charcha ke baad hi hataya gaya. (Abrogating Article 370 was no emergency, but an urgency. The decision was taken after a lot of discussions),” he said.

In the afternoon, Naidu reached Harmu ground where he launched the farmers’ additional assistance benefit scheme under which those with land holding of a maximum of 5 acre, would be given Rs 5,000 per acre annually in two instalments.

On Saturday, 13,60,380 farmers of the state had the first instalment credited to their bank accounts.

Chief Minister Raghubar Das, who said that 35 lakh small and marginal farmers would benefit from the scheme, added that the second instalment would be paid in October.

In his address, vice-president Naidu appreciated the state government’s efforts to support farmers of Jharkhand.

The army band plays the national anthem. Picture by Prashant Mitra

“Structural changes in the agriculture sector are required to make it a profit making occupation. I was told that the Jharkhand government has taken a number of steps to support the sector,” he said, reminding the gathering of over 8,000 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set a target of doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022.

“The Centre and state should work together to bring changes in the agriculture sector. The Centre has also started Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi to support farmers. Now you don’t have to visit offices and stand in queues because cash will be transferred to your bank account,” Naidu said.

Naidu, who was Union rural development minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, advised Jharkhand to focus on women in farmer families. For, women, he explained, were known to manage money better than men.

The vice-president said that rural development and structural changes in agriculture should go together.

“Roads and smart cities are being constructed. But villages too need development and roads. No official visits villages without roads. Politicians visit villages once in five years. Women, the poor and villages are the priorities of the Narendra Modi government,” he said.

Naidu also urged everyone to participate in water conservation efforts, noting that the state government had taken several initiatives.

Chief minister, in his address, spoke on the state government’s initiatives to support farmers and the agriculture sector.

“Till 2014, the growth rate of the agriculture sector was minus four per cent. Now, it is 14 per cent. We have started a single-window system for agriculture. Jharkhand is the first state which provided soil health card to farmers. So far, 17 lakh soil health cards have been issued,” he said, adding that the state government had been sending select farmers to Israel to learn best practices.

Among the other initiatives he mentioned were subsidy on seeds and Rs 185 per quintal increase in support price of paddy procurement.

“The Union government has fixed Rs 1,815 per quintal as support price. But Jharkhand government will pay an additional Rs 185. Mukhyamantri Krishi Ashirvad Yojana is one such step to support the farm sector,” he explained.

Later, Naidu presented symbolic certificates to five Ranchi farmers Akashi Toppo, Najmul Khatoon, Sarla Gorai, Suraj Lakra and Md Idrish.

Maniram Mahto, a farmer from Lupung village in Angara block, was happy about the scheme, saying farmers like him needed financial help and moral support from the government.

“Often farmers commit suicide as they are debt-ridden or their crops get damaged. These days farmers don’t want their sons to pursue this profession. It is, therefore, imperative that the government understand agriculture distress,” Mahto said.