Lucknow, Nov 13 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has said unlike the regional caste based family controlled political parties the farmers were on top of the agenda of the BJP government and it was committed to protect their interest particularly of the sugarcane growers.

He said the state government is relentlessly pursuing the goals set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for doubling the income of the farmers.



"In March 2017 when the BJP government took over, there were huge arrears of the sugar mills on the farmers' side and many sugar mills were closing down. The BJP government ensured the operation of the sugar mills resulting in the utilization of the cane thus helping the farmers. UP government has so far ensured the payment of over Rs 76,000 crore to the farmers ", said the CM adding "less than Rs 4,000 crore are still in arrears and will be cleared shortly."



Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday launched an app for the sugarcane farmers where the cane supply slip to the farmers will be issued by the sugar mills through online process. The app will ensure the transparency in the process and facilitate the sugarcane supply by the farmers to sugar mills and check irregularities in the process. The app will have entire information about the calendar of the issue of the cane supply slips to the farmers for the whole cane crushing season from November to May.



"Earlier the black-marketing of the cane supply slips was the common practice in UP. With the launch of the app new transparent system for the supply of sugarcane by the farmers to the sugar mills is being launched and within next 30 months the government will ensure that the sugarcane farming becomes a profitable venture for the farmers against the present state of the sugarcane farming’’, said the Chief minister.





CM said the sugarcane farming is a job intensive industry. He said the farmers are on the top of the agenda of the BJP government and there are 50 Lakh sugarcane farmers in UP and the government is working for their interest. Yogi Adityanath said during the last nearly three years of the BJP government, record amount has been paid to the farmers by the sugar mills. He said the sugarcane farmers are a satisfied community today resulting in the sharp increase in the area under cane cultivation which has increased from 20.52 Lakh hectares to 28 Lakh hectares.



Yogi Adityanath said 119 sugar mills were in operation during the last cane crushing season and two more sugar mills will commence cane crushing from the current season. CM said the farmers welfare schemes like the soil health card and PM Kisan Samman Yojna should have been implemented right after the independence in 1947. He said if the farmers are not on the agenda of the political parties then their agenda becomes the family and dynasty.



The sugar industry minister Suresh Rana said earlier the farmers were nowhere on the agenda of the government and they were compelled to commit suicide. He said the BJP government introduced fundamental changes and farmers are now on the top of the agenda of the BJP government and it is relentlessly pursuing the agenda of doubling the income of the farmers.

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