Chandigarh, May 15:
In a step further aimed at saving 15-20% precious groundwater of the state, the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday started the Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR) which will act as a catalyst for checking the further depletion of groundwater besides supplementing the income of farmers in a big way.
In a statement issued here today, the Chief Minister said that after assuming the charge of his office his government has taken several path breaking initiatives to safeguard the interests of the farmers. He said that as a part of this endeavor only the state government has encouraged DSR technique of paddy cultivation as a part of which sowing under the scheme has been started from today (Thursday). Bhagwant Singh Mann said that his Government has set a target of bringing five lakh acres of land under DSR technique during this Kharif season.
Urging the farmers to make maximum use of this scheme, the Chief Minister said that this initiative is aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture on one hand and conserving the groundwater on the other. Bhagwant Singh Mann further said that it is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction for him that the state government is giving financial assistance worth Rs. 1,500 per acre to the farmers adopting DSR. He said that the state government has also kept a budgetary allocation of Rs. 40 crore for this purpose in the financial year 2025-26 adding that the farmers interested in it can register for the DSR scheme at online portal agrimachinerypb.com from May 10 to June 30, 2025.
The Chief Minister said that this scheme will save 15-20% of the groundwater in the state besides saving the additional expenses on agriculture. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the DSR technique is a big boon for the state as it will help in checking the depleting groundwater levels besides reducing labour costs of approximately Rs. 3,500 per acre. He said that the farmers should come forward and adopt this scheme and discharge their duty towards their motherland in a befitting manner.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has always been sensitive towards steering the farmers out of the prevailing agrarian crisis and for saving the precious groundwater of the state. He said that the state had played a key role to make the country self-reliant in food that too at the cost of overexploitation of the only available natural resources of the state in terms of soil and water. However, Bhagwant Singh Mann bemoaned that agriculture today was no longer a profitable venture as the farmers were facing acute agrarian crisis due to ever escalating farm inputs and non remunerative Minimum Support Price (MSP).
