Jharkhand focal point of Centre's green initiative in East: Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Tuesday said initiatives by the Centre were afoot for a green revolution in the eastern region with Jharkhand as the focal point.

"The government has taken initiatives for green revolution in the eastern region and Jharkhand will be its centre," Singh said at Mandu in Ramgarh district.

Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for an Agriculture Science Centre here, Singh said farmers would be provided with debit cards through which they could get a loan of Rs 5,000 and would be a help for the poor farmers from going to money lenders.

The poor, he added, would have their own bank accounts with Rs one lakh insurance without any premium, as banks were asked to open accounts with zero balance.

The minister reiterated that subsidy on agriculture would continue as the country was an agriculture-based one and India's stand had got support from a number of countries. No minister from Jharkhand government was present during the foundation laying ceremony.

The police prevented a few JMM activists from showing black flags to the minister at Ramgarh - an ongoing agitation programme by the JMM to protest the hooting by BJP activists when Chief Minister Hemant Soren was speaking on stage in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a function at Ranchi on August 21.