Gandhinagar, February 16 Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat said on Monday that the state government has disbursed ₹9,610 crore as part of a special agricultural relief package to over 33 lakh farmers affected by unseasonal rains last year.
In his address to the state assembly on the first day of the budget session, Devvrat praised the government's shift towards a "technology-driven" administration and its initiatives in the agricultural sector.
He said that under the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, more than ₹22,000 crore was directly deposited into the bank accounts of over 69 lakh farmer families in Gujarat.
"The state government had announced a substantial relief package for farmers who had suffered losses due to unseasonal rains last year, disbursing ₹9,610 crore to over 33 lakh affected farmers," he said.
Devvrat also highlighted the steps the state government had taken to promote natural farming.
"The state government has established the Gujarat Natural Farming Development Board and set up the world's first Natural Farming University to promote chemical-free agriculture," he said.
More than 19 lakh farmers have been trained in natural farming techniques, and over 8 lakh have adopted natural farming practices, he noted.
"As many as 7,100 model farms have been set up across the state. The Dang district has been declared completely chemical-free," he added.
Devvrat further said that the government has implemented technology-driven initiatives to ensure transparency and accountability in the administration.
"The chief minister's dashboard has been introduced to implement the Governance Performance Index. Through portals such as I-ORA and GARVI-2.0, land-related services have been made available online, ensuring simple, speedy and transparent services to citizens," he said.
The governor said that administrative decentralisation has been prioritised with the creation of new districts and talukas to make government services more accessible in rural and remote areas.
Speaking about employment generation, Devvrat said, "The state government is committed to providing employment opportunities to youth. In the past year alone, more than 30,000 youths have been given appointment letters. A 10-year recruitment calendar has been prepared to fill more than two lakh posts in a phased manner."
He added that under the 'Gujarat Karmayogi Swasthya Suraksha Yojana', government employees are being provided cashless medical treatment up to ₹10 lakh.
Referring to cultural initiatives, the governor said, "Somnath Swabhiman Parv was organised to mark 1,000 years of the attack on the Somnath Temple, symbolising our cultural pride and national identity."
He also mentioned the "Sardar@150 Unity March" organised from Karamsad to the Statue of Unity to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and tribal icon Birsa Munda.
2025 was observed as Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh to honour tribal contributions, he said.
"In line with the vision of 'Viksit Gujarat to Viksit Bharat', the state government, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, is moving ahead with determination to achieve inclusive and all-round development," the governor said.
He said Gujarat is also making continuous progress in the field of sports, as the state was recently given the rights to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030.