PM Modi lays foundation of Bundelkhand Expressway, launches 10,000 FPOs

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : To supplement the nodes of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor announced in February 2018, PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the 296 km long Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot on February 29, 2020. To be built at a cost of Rs 14,849 crore, the Expressway is expected to benefit Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya, and Etawah districts in UP.

The event also marked the launch of 10,000 Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs) across the country at Chitrakoot, UP. He also launched a saturation drive for distribution of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to all the beneficiaries under the PM-KISAN Scheme.

Lauding the State Government for taking a number of initiatives to forge employment in the country, PM Modi said Bundelkhand Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway or the proposed Ganga Expressway, will not only increase connectivity in UP, but also create many employment opportunities and will also connect the people with the facilities available in big cities.

Referring to the huge defence equipment requirements spanning from land systems, ships and submarines to fighter aircraft, helicopters, weapons and sensors, the Prime Minister said that a provision of Rs 3,700 crore has been made for the UP Defence Corridor in this year’s budget. UP Defence Corridor is also getting momentum from Bundelkhand Expressway, he added.

To increase the income of the farmers of the country and empower them, the Prime Minister launched a scheme to create 10,000 FPOs i.e. Farmer Producer Organizations. The farmer, who was a producer till now, will also conduct business through FPO, he added. Outlining several initiatives undertaken by the Government for farmers, the PM said the Government has worked on every front that concerns farmers- be it MSP, Soil Health Card, 100% neem coating of urea, and completion of irrigation projects lying incomplete for decades.

The Prime Minister said that the FPOs will help in collectivisation of the efforts of the farmers so that they can sell their produce at a better price. He said the government has decided to give more incentives to FPOs in more than 100 Aspirational Districts of the country with at least one FPO formed in every block, according to a PIB release.

He stressed that nearly 2 crore farmer families of entire UP including Chitrakoot are getting their entitlement of over Rs 12,000 crore a year  directly deposited into their bank accounts without middlemen and any discrimination. He compared this with the times when packages of thousands of crores were announced in the name of farmers, in the name of Bundelkhand, but nothing reached the pocket of the farmer. He also added that beneficiaries of PM Kisan Yojana are also being linked to PM Jeevan Jyoti Insurance and PM Jeevan Suraksha Insurance Scheme. “This will ensure insurance amount of up to Rs 2 lakh to farmers in difficult times,” he added.