Financial bonus, soil-health cards, grievance redressal: how Haryana is setting a benchmark for other states

According to a April-2024 report of Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under Ministry of Jal Shakti, GoI, Jharkhand and Maharashtra have about 3.16 crore and 6.87 crore rural population, respectively.

A senior BJP leader said, “Whatever the Haryana government had been doing or is doing or will be doing for the welfare of farmers of Haryana will definitely be an example for other states, too. Of course, it will have an impact on the upcoming polls in poll-bound states, too. The BJP is the only party that had been working relentlessly for the welfare of farmers. By implementing all such decisions in the interest of farmers is also a clear example of the party’s commitment of fulfilling each and every promise that we make to the farmers.” On the 555th Parkash Parv of Guru Nanak Devi, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini released an amount of Rs 300 crore through DBT to 2.62 lakh farmers. He also announced that the “bonus amount of Rs 580 crore to the remaining 4.94 lakh farmers shall also be released soon.”

“Keeping the interests of the farmers paramount, Haryana government has decided to give a bonus of Rs 2000 per acre on agricultural and horticultural crops being produced in the state due to adverse weather conditions during Kharif-2024. On August 16, 2024, I had transferred a bonus of Rs 496 crore as the first installment, directly into the accounts of 5.80 lakh farmers through DBT. This bonus is being given to all those farmers who have registered themselves on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal,” Saini said. He launched another initiative enabling farmers to know the health of their soil and how much fertilizer their land requires. He distributed 40 lakh Soil-Health Cards to farmers through WhatsApp.

He said that Haryana is conducting soil-testing every three years to provide farmers with vital information, including quantity of seeds and fertiliser requirement to boost their crop yields. “Receiving these soil-health cards in time will enable a farmer to utilise optimum quantity of seeds and fertilizer to get maximum output from his field increasing their productivity and income,” Saini said. Haryana first conducted a detailed soil fertility assessment study in 2021-22. Under this exercise, soil samples are collected from each acre of agricultural land, tested and assessment is made that reflects in the soil-health card.

“By following these recommendations mentioned on the soil-health cards, overuse of nitrogen fertilisers will be discouraged enabling balanced nutrition for the crops. It will not only improve crop yield but will also help reduce nutrient deficiency. Minimising the excessive use of fertilisers will contribute to mitigating the impact of climate change and protect the environment. With soil testing laboratories available within a 20-25 kilometer radius, there are a total of 106 laboratories where soil samples are tested in Haryana,” Saini said.