Una, September 4- To strengthen natural farming in Himachal Pradesh and increase the income of farmers, the state government has launched 'Him Unnati Yojana'. A budget of Rs 150 crore has been set under this ambitious scheme and it is being implemented in a phased manner.
The objective of the scheme is to create integrated development in agriculture, environmental protection, strengthening of rural economy and new opportunities for agriculture-based self-employment for the youth. According to the Agriculture Department, under the scheme, 1239 clusters with 40 bighas or more of agricultural land have been identified in the state. In these, a target has been set to form 2600 farmer groups by including 50 thousand farmers of the state.

Focus on creating new clusters in Una district-
Kulbhushan Dhiman, Deputy Director of Agriculture Department Una, says that agricultural clusters are being formed in the district under the scheme. A provision of Rs 33.50 lakh has been made for the year 2025-26. 100 farmer groups were formed in the year 2023-24. The action plan for 10 new clusters in 2024-25 has been sent to the higher officials. These efforts will ensure the availability of technical training, marketing support and modern resources to the farmers.

Cluster based development will strengthen the rural economy-
The cluster based model will promote chemical-free farming. Also, youth will get new employment opportunities through agriculture-based startups. Direct connection of farmers with the market will lead to a permanent increase in their income.

Chief Minister's Vision: Progress of the state in the progress of farmers-
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu thinks that the real progress of the state is possible only when the farmers are prosperous and empowered. This is the reason why increasing the income of farmers and making farming profitable emerges as the biggest priority in his policies.
The vision of the Chief Minister is that the Him Unnati Yojana should not only provide economic strength to the farmers but also pave the way for new employment opportunities in rural areas, so that both farming and rural economy can be rejuvenated.
Today Himachal Pradesh is the only state in the country where the minimum support price of natural wheat and maize has been fixed. The government is purchasing natural wheat at the rate of Rs 60 per kg and maize at the rate of Rs 40 per kg. This is a visionary initiative to give farmers a fair price for their hard work and motivate them towards organic and natural farming.

Efforts of the administration-
Deputy Commissioner Una Jatin Lal says that the district administration will ensure that the benefits of the state government's scheme reach all the eligible farmers, so that they become self-reliant and help in strengthening the rural economy.