Jaipur, June 13 -- Chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and Rajasthan governor Haribhau Bagde and on Friday urged farmers to reduce dependence on chemical pesticides and adopt natural farming practices, emphasizing that chemical-free agriculture is essential for protecting public health, improving soil fertility and ensuring sustainable agricultural growth. Addressing a state-level organic farming workshop, the leaders highlighted the need to transition towards environmentally sustainable farming methods. The event was also attended by Gujarat governor Acharya Devvrat, BJP Rajasthan president Madan Rathore and BJP Kisan Morcha state president Kailash Choudhary. Governor Bagde appealed to farmers to produce chemical-free food grains and contribute to protecting people from diseases. He said farmers had played a historic role in ensuring the country's food security during difficult times when grain shortages were a major concern. "There was a time when the country faced a scarcity of food grains, but farmers worked tirelessly to increase production. Today, India has sufficient food reserves because of their hard work," he said. He encouraged farmers to focus on producing high-quality food grains, adding that consumers are always willing to purchase nutritious and chemical-free agricultural produce. While the chief minister said India's traditional farming practices had always emphasized harmony with nature. He noted that techniques such as Panchgavya, Jeevamrit, Beejamrit and mulching have historically helped maintain both human health and soil health. He said natural farming should be promoted on a larger scale as excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides damages "Mother Earth" and adversely affects agricultural sustainability. Highlighting government initiatives for farmers, Sharma said the state government has prepared a comprehensive roadmap to improve water and energy availability in rural areas. He said major projects including the Ramjal Setu Link Project, the Yamuna Water Agreement, strengthening of the Indira Gandhi Canal Project (IGNP) and Gang Canal, as well as accelerated work on the Mahi, Dewas, Som-Kamla-Amba and Brahmani river projects, are being implemented to support agriculture. Sharma also emphasized Rajasthan's progress in the energy sector, saying the state has taken significant steps toward energy self-reliance over the past two-and-a-half years. He said the government is moving rapidly towards its target of providing daytime electricity to farmers across Rajasthan by 2027. "Farmers in 26 districts are already receiving electricity during the daytime," Sharma said. The chief minister said the state government's "double-engine" administration is committed to making agriculture both profitable and environmentally sustainable. Gujarat governor advocated natural farming, warning that excessive chemical-based agriculture has severely affected soil health across the country. He said the organic carbon content in agricultural land has fallen to critically low levels due to continuous use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides....