The Chief Minister while presiding over the launching ceremony at Dharamshala, said that the is committed for the development of rural areas as more than 90 percent of the total Population lives in these areas and about 70 percent of the population is dependent on the Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture sector for livelihood.
Despite limited financial Resources and slowdown due to the Corona pandemic, the present State Government has launched various new schemes to promote Irrigation, agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry and allied sectors besides ensuring all-round and equitable development of Himachal, he said.
The phase-I of the project being implemented in five districts of Mandi, Kangra, Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Una on pilot basis since 2011 has virtually transformed the economy of the farmers in these districts. The main objective of this project is to disseminate a successful model of crop diversification and increase the vegetable area in the project area from 2500 hectares to 7000 hectares by 2031, he said.
The Chief Minister further said that in order to fulfil the vision and commitment towards rapid development of the state, the government is mobilizing resources from all possible sources including the Central Government, external funding agencies like JICA, World Bank and Asian Development Bank etc. The State Government considers JICA to be the most important source of financial support and partner in development of Himachal, he added.