Chandigarh, Mar 13 (PTI) Farmers' welfare is at the core of the ruling BJP's policies and the government has been working effectively for over ten years to ensure the prosperity of the cultivators and make agriculture more profitable, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said on Thursday.

"Farmers' welfare is at the core of the government's policies..," Saini said.

He said the government is purchasing all crops at minimum support price (MSP). Since 2021-22, a total of Rs 1.25 lakh crore has been directly transferred to farmers' bank accounts for food grains procured at MSP, he noted.

Saini was replying to a debate on the motion of thanks to the governor's address in the state Assembly.

During his nearly three-hour-long reply, Saini targeted the opposition Congress on various fronts.

The Congress ruled the country for over 50 years but they never cared about farmers' welfare and trapped them in debt, the chief minister said.

The Congress has been rejected by the people, he added.

"Congress ke paas na neeti hai, na niyat hai, aur na netritva hai (Congress lacks policy, intent, and leadership)," he remarked.

The Congress members staged a walkout within a few minutes after Saini started his speech.

Saini said when the Congress was in power in Haryana, they favoured colonisers under the guise of Change of Land Use (CLU) and promoted corruption.

On the law and order issue, Saini said during the past ten years of BJP rule, there has been a continuous decline in the crime graph.

While the population has consistently increased in recent years, new technologies are being used in crimes. However, the state government is continuously taking strong measures to put a brake on crime, ensuring safety and security for all, he said.

He also listed several steps, which the government is taking to check the drug menace.

In 2023, 3,823 cases were registered under the NDPS Act, with 5,119 arrests, while in 2024, 3,331 cases were registered, and 5,094 people were arrested.

He further said that the properties of drug traffickers are being seized and demolished. Additionally, a campaign for drug de-addiction has led to the declaration of 3,350 villages and 876 wards as drug-free, he said.

Taking on the Congress, Saini said the party leaders used to spread the propaganda last year that if they came to power in Haryana, they would close online portals but today all citizens are getting benefits due to this online facility and because of this, their trust in the government has increased.

The chief minister said the opposition leaders are talking about more BPL cards being made.

During the Congress regime, the business of giving recommendations was prevalent and BPL cards of even the rich were made but the poor could not get included in the BPL category, he added.

In the last 10 years, the state government has brought a change in the method of estimating the number of families below the poverty line.

Touching upon various criteria for declaring a family as living below the poverty line, Saini said earlier there was a criteria that the annual income of the family should not exceed Rs 1.20 lakh.

He said that for the first time, the government included all the families with annual income up to Rs 1.80 lakh in the BPL category.

Due to this, about 32 lakh families with annual income between Rs 1.20 lakh and Rs 1.80 lakh were included in the BPL list, said Saini, giving the reason behind the increase in the number of such families in the state.

Congress MLAs, while participating in a discussion on the Governor's Address in the state Assembly on Tuesday, had targeted the state government on an increase in the number of BPL families.

Congress MLA Kuldeep Vats had claimed that "2 crore of the state's population is living below the poverty line".

Congress MLA Ashok Arora had said the government talks about making Haryana "viksit" (developed), "but 75 per cent of the state population is below the poverty line".

Meanwhile, Saini, in his reply, said Haryana has become the first choice of investors from within the country and abroad.

In the last 10 years, 7,66,000 micro, small and medium industries have been set up in the state and 39 lakh people have got employment in them. In the year 2013-14, the state's exports were at Rs 68,000 crore, which increased to Rs 2,75,000 crore in 2023-24.

Apart from this, the government has plans to set up an EV park in Rohtak, he said.

An Industrial Model Township will also be developed near Julana.

Saini said the government has already established logistics hubs in the NCR region.

Aditya Birla Group is setting up a mega project at Panipat at a cost of Rs 1,140 crore, he informed.

In addition, a medical device park is being set up on 225 acres of land in Karnal.

Saini said that to provide better living conditions for citizens, the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) will develop Sector-14-16, 22 in the Kot Billa Urban Complex in Panchkula and Sector-23 in Pinjore-Kalka as pilot projects in the first phase.

The chief minister also said that during the Congress rule, there was no roadmap for developing colonies, and anyone could cut colonies anywhere, leading to the mushrooming of illegal colonies. PTI SUN BAL BAL

Farmers' welfare measures: MSP procurement and direct transfers to strengthen farm incomes and social inclusion. Farmers' welfare is central, with crops procured at Minimum Support Price (MSP) and direct cash transfers to producers for procured food grains; a revised Below Poverty Line (BPL) income threshold expanded eligibility to include more families, explaining an increase in BPL numbers. The government reports reduced crime rates, targeted drug control actions including seizures and de addiction campaigns, and promotes industrial investment, specialised parks, logistics hubs and urban development pilot projects as part of its economic and social policy agenda.