Jammu, June 18 (Reporter) Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said that it is important for the opinion makers to create an awareness that today’s farmers are not the farmers of the yesteryears but he is an agriculture entrepreneurs or agri-tech start-up. “One of the best examples has come from Jammu and Kashmir which gave birth to Aroma Mission and offered livelihood and Start-up opportunities to thousands of agri-workers through lavender cultivation which began from the small town of Bhaderwah and is now being cited all over the world including in the display during the Republic Day tableau at Kartavya Path,” Dr Singh said here while addressing a programme at SKUAST to telecast PM Narendra Modi’s virtual grant of fresh instalment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme that he said marks the continuity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s conviction and commitment. Referring to the agriculture sector as an important future component of India's economy as it rises to number three economy, Dr Jitendra Singh said this is one sector which had not remained fully explored and Jammu and Kashmir is going to play an important part. He said, there is a certain pattern of continuity with deep commitment and conviction with which Prime Minister Modi follows each of his initiatives. Describing PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme as one such distinct example, Dr. Singh recalled that the scheme was launched by PM Modi in his first term i.e. Modi Govt 1.0 on 2nd of February 2019. Since then, he said, regular programmes of a similar nature were held for timely grant of the instalments to the needy farmers and the process continued over the second term of PM Modi i.e. Modi Govt 2.0 and is now also seen in the third term of Modi Govt 3.0 with the first function happening within just one month of the swearing in of the ministry for the third term. Dr. Singh said, as the name indicates, the amount transferred to the accounts of the needy farmers is not only a means of providing financial support but it is also an expression of the society’s respect and acknowledgement of the farmer as “Annadata’ and therefore the scheme has been appropriately named as Kisan “Samman” Nidhi scheme. This also reflects, said Dr. Singh, Prime Minister Modi’s conscious attempt to introduce in the society and in the polity, a new work culture which is above the divisions of caste, creed or religion. He referred to PM Modi’s recent statement where he said that he knew only of four classes or castes in this country, namely Kisan (farmer), Mahila (women), Yuva (youth) and Garib (poor). By serving the cause of these four classes all the castes and religions get addressed because these classes include Hindus as well as Muslims and every caste of Hindu as well, he said. Referring to today’s programme in the light of the same spirit, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, through today’s grants while on the one hand, the farmers' class is being addressed, on the other hand, the women are also being addressed through the initiative of “Krishi-Sakhi” Self-Help Groups of women farmers who are also going to get the benefit in today's programme. Dr. Singh also underlined the use of technology in all the Modi schemes including the PM Kisan Samman scheme where more than five lakh common service centres have been opened and even Artificial Intelligence has been used to produce an AI chatbot called Kisan e-mitra which is available in eleven Indian languages and soon it will be available in Dogri and Kashmiri as well. Referring to the agriculture sector as an important future component of India's economy as it rises to number three economy, Dr Singh said this is one sector which had not remained fully explored and Jammu and Kashmir is going to play an important part...////...