Jaipur, Aug. 12 -- Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Monday highlighted the farmer-centric initiatives by the central and state governments, and also announced the direct transfer of the first installment of crop insurance claims for Rabi 2024-25 and Kharif 2024 under the PM Fasal Bima Yojana. Speaking in Jhunjhunu, Chouhan said, "Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy and farmers are the soul of India. Our double-engine government is continuously working for the welfare of farmers in Rajasthan so that they can become prosperous and happy." He said that benefits such as interest-free loans, an increase in PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, and providing electricity to farmers during the day are giving them much-needed relief. The union minister added that in the past, neither villages nor individual farmers could receive compensation for crop damage, but now, under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, even a single farmer received full compensation for crop losses credited directly to his bank account. He said that the Prime Minister was promoting scientific farming in the country so that farmers could get fair prices for their produce, adding that the central government was providing subsidies on all agricultural inputs including urea, DAP, fertilizers, and seeds. In addition, a "Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan" would be launched, under which scientists would visit villages to provide farmers with information related to seeds, fertilizers, and nutrients. Chouhan also urged people to use more indigenous products in their daily lives, he said. Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma said, "A country progresses only when it is self-reliant. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our double-engine government is continuously taking decisions to make farmers self-reliant." He said that 970 thousand farmers from the state had benefitted.under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, He said that several key steps for farmers' welfare were taken, including linking land records to the National Crop Insurance Portal, providing free insurance for over 2 million animals under the Mukhyamantri Mangla Pashu Bima Yojana, treatment for 5.4 million animals, providing loans to more than 45,000 cattle rearers through the Cooperative Gopal Credit Card scheme, disbursing Rs.42,131 crore in short-term interest-free crop loans to over 7.5 million farmers, and establishing 9,205 PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendras....