Agartala, Oct 16: Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath today inaugurated the newly built Yuvarajnagar Agriculture Supervisor's Office, Krishak Bandhu Kendra, and Agriculture Development Research Centre at Haflong, Dharmanagar. The two-storey building of the Agriculture Supervisor's Office was built by the Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department at a cost of ₹3.12 crore.

Another two-storey building, which houses the Krishak Bandhu Kendra and the Agriculture Development Research Centre together, was built at a cost of ₹82 lakh. Speaking at the programme, the Minister said making the state self-sufficient in food is one of the present government's main goals. Increasing farmers' income is the top priority, and the country will become self-reliant only when its farmers become selfreliant.

He added that agriculture is the foundation of our economy. Farmers must be encouraged to adopt modern technology, and production and yield must be increased through modern farming methods, so that farmers can become more economically self-reliant.

Farmers are our "annadata" (providers of food), and it is because of their round-the-clock hard work that everyone in society has food to eat. The state's Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department is working toward this goal, so that farmers can use modern technology to raise production and become self-reliant.

The Minister further said that under the bold and farsighted leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has advanced greatly in agriculture, and India ranks among the world leaders in producing foodgrains, fruits, and spices. In the state too, agriculture has seen extensive development since the present government came to power.

He said that since the government was established in 2018, modern agri markets are being built in different parts of the state at a cost of ₹461 crore. Progress under the present government has been unprecedented not only in agriculture but in other sectors as well. Piped drinking water connections have already reached 6.22 lakh families in the state, and 4.93 lakh pucca houses have been built for poor people under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Also present at the programme were North Tripura Zilla Parishad Sabhadhipati Aparna Nath, MLA Jawhar Chakraborty, MLA Yadab Lal Debnath, former MLA Malina Debnath, and Additional District Magistrate Bijay Sinha, among others.

The welcome address was delivered by Phani Bhushan Jamatia, Director of the Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department. Yuvarajnagar Panchayat Samiti Chairperson Aparna Sinha Debnath presided. At the event, 10 women farmers from Yuvarajnagar Block were honoured, with the Minister presenting the felicitations to them.