Ranchi: Chief minister Raghubar Das on Thursday announced that the state government will formally launch the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Yojana from Ormanjhi on February 24 while it will be rolled out in the remaining 23 districts on February 27.As part of this Centre-sponsored scheme, announced during the Union Budget last month, financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per year will be given to a farmer’s family having cultivable land up to 2 hectares. Das said farmers across the state will receive their first installment of Rs 2,000 through direct benefit transfer on February 24. On the other hand, the state government too had announced Mukhiya Mantri Krishi Ashirvaad Yojana where Rs 5,000 per acre will be given to farmers with land holding up to five acre.Speaking at the launch of the first phase of Meethi Kranti Scheme at Project Building, Das said: “Farmers across Jharkhand will now be able to enjoy the double bonanza under Centre and state schemes. Each year, a farmer will get a maximum of Rs 31,000 and minimum of Rs 11,000 as guaranteed financial assistance.” At the programme, 1,207 beneficiaries of Meethi Kranti Scheme received bee box kits worth Rs 1 lakh at 80% subsidy.Das added: “With one-time investment of just Rs 20,000, farmers and entrepreneurs across the state can now ensure annual income of over Rs 1.3 lakh through the Meethi Kranti scheme in Jharkhand. Jharkhand has allotted Rs 100 crores for this scheme, of which we are distributing bee boxes worth Rs 10 crore in the first phase.”Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the scheme from Sahebganj in April 2016. “The government is committed to provide honey producers of the state a market the right prices for their products. We are aiming to improve the income of the farmers across the state, but the goal cannot be achieved solely through agriculture. The income of farmers has to boosted through practices like honey production , animal husbandry and horticulture,” he said.Das also added that the Meethi Kranti scheme will benefit around 12,000 farmers from the and a processing plant will also be set-up for the same in the state. Das added: “The international market for honey is worth $500 million. There is high demand for Indian honey in China, Europe and the UAE and we will be marketing the honey produced in Jharkhand to these markets.”

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