Raipur 04 October 2024// During his visit to Dantewada on Friday, Chief Minister  Vishnu Deo Sai awarded the certificate of ‘Completely Organic Village’ to the villages Masenar and Pahurnar, located in the Dantewada and Geedam development blocks, respectively. In Dantewada, organic farming is being practiced by 10,264 farmers across the largest area in the country—65,279 hectares—spread over 110 villages that have been certified as organic by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, under the large area certification programme.

Currently, a comprehensive action plan is being developed by the district administration in collaboration with various departments to transform Dantewada into an organic hub aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of farmers. This includes a detailed action plan for large-scale training in organic farming, promotion, educational tours, irrigation and infrastructure development, market linkages and more. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is completely banned in the district. To further promote organic farming, ‘Krishak Khet Pathshaala’ sessions are being organized in three phases across all 220 villages in the district. Over 300 local progressive farmers have been trained outside the state and are now prepared as organic workers and master trainers.

In this Kharif season, green manure has been applied over 1,200 hectares, and the SRI method of cultivation has been implemented on more than 800 hectares. Soil Health Cards are being provided to all 23,000 farmers in the district. During this event, progressive farmer  Bosa Ram Atami from village Kasauli presented high-quality guavas, while  Kamal Singh Nag offered a basket of special rice produced through organic methods to Chief Minister  Sai.

During this programme, under the aegis of the district administration and the ‘Niyad Nella Naar Yojana’, the Chief Minister provided two buses to the Gram Panchayats of Cherpal and Gongpal to initiate bus services. These services will be operated by the Seva Mahila Self-Help Group. Besides, the administration will provide six more buses to facilitate transportation in remote villages. On this occasion, two youths trained at the Livelihood College—Anil from village Dhurli and Gaurish from village Gamawada—were also given four-wheelers for taxi operations.

Under the ‘Pehchaan Dantewada’ innovation programme of the district administration, Chief Minister  Vishnu Deo Sai provided essential documents, including a ration card, Aadhaar card, Ayushman card, and caste and residence certificates, to six-month-old Dheeraj Nag from village Balpet. The ‘Pehchaan Dantewada’ app enables the district administration, in collaboration with the Health, Revenue, and Women and Child Development departments, to deliver all necessary basic documents to the parents of newborns within four months of birth. This initiative ensures that children have access to their documents from birth through their upbringing, relieving parents of the hassle of visiting government offices to obtain these certificates.