/   Punjabs ongoing Kharif sowing season has reached its midpoint, witnessing a significant 15 percent increase in the adoption of the water-conserving Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technique. This year, over two lakh acres have been sown using DSR, compared to 1.72 lakh acres during the entire Kharif season the previous year.   Crediting the increase to the persistent efforts by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Thursday hailed this as a great success and expressed optimism about achieving the target of five lakh acres under DSR this season, as set by the Agriculture Department.   The Minister highlighted that the Punjab Government is providing financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per acre to encourage farmers to adopt the DSR technique. The Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has allocated Rs 50 crore for this purpose during the 2024-25 fiscal year.   In the previous year, the Punjab Government provided Rs 20.33 crore in financial assistance to 17,116 farmers for adopting DSR, said the Minister, urging more farmers to join hands with the State Government in conserving groundwater by opting for this efficient technique.   Farmers who have chosen to use DSR must register on the government portal — agrimachinerypb.com — by July 15, 2024, to receive the financial assistance. Minister emphasized that the DSR technique not only conserves water but also reduces labour costs and results in higher yields.      

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