Guwahati, June 21 -- Reported by Mrinal Banik

Agartala: More than Rs 529 crore has been transferred directly to farmers through paddy procurement in Tripura, Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Sunday, asserting that increasing farmers' income remains a key objective of the state government.

Addressing a programme at the Tripura State Agriculture Research Centre in Arundhatinagar after the release of the 23rd instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), Manik Saha said strengthening the economic condition of farmers is essential for the development of villages and the state.

"If farmers' income increases, villages will develop. If villages develop, the state develops," he said.

The Chief Minister said farmers had ofte...