Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurates ICAR-IIMR admin block in Ludhiana

During the visit, he interacted with maize stakeholders, farmers, rural development scheme beneficiaries, and women self-help group (SHG) members.

He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government’s key goals include boosting foodgrain production, reducing input costs, and improving farmers’ incomes. He highlighted the importance of diversification beyond rice and wheat, emphasising maize’s utility across food and industrial sectors and its role as a water-saving alternative to paddy.

As part of support measures, he announced that the central government has released Rs 740 million for free distribution of wheat seeds to mitigate crop loss in Punjab. Press Information Bureau In addition, under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, Rs 2.2 billion has been advanced to 1.1 million farmers.

On flood relief, Chouhan stated that a package of Rs 16 billion has been sanctioned. He noted that Rs 1,60,000 per family has been approved for the reconstruction of 36,703 damaged houses — of which Rs 1,20,000 is for house construction and Rs 40,000 for labour and toilet facilities.

He urged citizens to give preference to “Made in India” products, arguing this would support local artisans, retain wealth domestically, and strengthen the national economy.

The event was attended by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Shri Ravneet Singh Bittu, and Punjab Agriculture Minister Shri Gurmeet Singh Khudian.