“Extensive work has been carried out in the state under the PMKY 2.0 project,” claimed the Agriculture Minister.

A review meeting on the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) 2.0 was held on Thursday at Pragya Bhavan. The meeting was chaired by the State Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath. District Sabhadhipatis and Co-Sabhadhipatis from all eight districts, Agriculture Department Secretary Apurba Roy, and other officials were present.

The meeting held detailed discussions on how rainwater can be effectively utilized for agricultural purposes. Discussions were also held on how employment opportunities can be increased through this project and how people can be made self-reliant.

After the review meeting, Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath stated that around ₹90 crore has been received under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana 2.0. About 32,000 hectares of agricultural land in the state have been brought under this project. He further informed that works such as the creation of Amrit Sarovars, renovation of old water bodies, and construction of drainage channels have been completed under this project. He added that a total of 4,69,291 labour days have been generated through the project.

The Agriculture Minister further said that work has been completed on 19 projects and 48 sub-projects. These works have been carried out in 18 blocks out of the state’s 58 blocks. Providing data, the minister said that before the present government came to power, 22 out of 58 blocks in the state were self-sufficient in food. Over the past seven years, this number has increased to 30 blocks. He mentioned that the survey work has not yet been conducted this year, but there is a possibility that five more blocks may become food self-sufficient this year.

The minister also stated that the state will become self-sufficient in table potato production by 2028–29, and that potato seed production has been self-sufficient since 2017.