Gujarat’s Krishi Mahotsav is a celebration for a cause, farmer celebrating qualitative change in his lifestyle – Narendra Modi

Ahmedabad, Wednesday: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said that Krishi Mahotsav being held in the state for the eighth consecutive years is indeed a celebration for a cause – farmer’s harvesting his hard work, celebrating his newfound economic empowerment and qualitative change in his lifestyle.

Talking to farmers across the state on the occasion of Krishi Mahotsav-2012 through videoconferencing, he said the labour of one lakh government employees, karma yogis, fanning out to all corners of the state at the height of summer for a month has borne fruits.

Mr. Modi drew a simile of Krishi Mahotsav with Lokmanya Tilak’s launching movement for freedom struggle and awareness about Ganeshotsav. Even otherwise, he said, celebrating harvest season as a festival is our tradition.

He recalled how the Gujarat Government tried to change century-old land revenue laws, 7/12 system, from the times of Todarmal, changed irrigation pattern from sinking tube wells where there was no electricity to canal and pipeline-based network, issued soil health card to help farmers chose best crops to suit soil condition and climate, and issued scientific farming. The Gujarat Government has also provided 24x7 hours electricity to all the 18,000 villages in the state.