We have to move from ‘atta, chawal’ as nutrition is equally important: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Appealing to farmers not to stick only to wheat and rice crops, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday highlighted the importance of nutrition in our food and asked farmers to grow food that can be sold across the world.
“Reduce imports, produce foods that can reach the doorstep of people outside India,” Modi said while launching two major schemes with a combined outlay of ₹35,440 crore over a 6-year period. He said pulses play a key role in providing protein to the vegetarian population, for which the country needs to be self sufficient.
“Though atta, chawal (in reference to wheat, paddy crops) are necessary for food security, we have to look beyond it, as nutrional security is equally important,” Modi said in his appeal to farmers to diversify into other crops.
The ₹11,440-crore Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, approved by the Cabinet on October 2, aims to increase pulses production from the current 25.24 million tonnes (mt) to 35 mt by the 2030-31 crop year (July-June) and reduce imports, which touched a record 6.9 mt in 2024-25.
The ₹24,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, approved in July, was also launched by the Prime Minister to bring up crop yields in 100 low-performing districts at par with national average. Though there is no separate budget for PM-DDKY, it will focus on enhancing productivity, promoting crop diversification, improving irrigation and storage, and ensuring credit access in those 100 districts by converging various Central and State schemes.
Published on October 11, 2025
