Punjab Govt releases first tranche of over Rs 4 cr under DSR initiative

The Punjab Government has transferred Rs 4.34 crore as the first tranche into the bank accounts of over 9,500 farmers under its initiative encouraging direct seeding of rice (DSR).

The government is likely to release the pending dues by March 31, when the current financial year closes.

The state government has declared an incentive of Rs 1,500 per acre under the programme that aims at the adoption of the technique under which rice seeds are sown directly into the field, bypassing the traditional method of raising the seedlings in nurseries and then transplanted.

Disclosing about the release of the amount, state Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said over 24,000 farmers had registered 2.53 lakh acres under the initiative last year.

After verification by officials, the department has initially transferred Rs. 4.34 crore, he said.

Khudian said their government had been encouraging farmers to adopt the technique to save depleting groundwater.