Centre to give soil cards to farmers by 2019: Amit Shah

Parli: BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday said his party's governments both at the Centre and state will provide soil health cards to every farmer by 2019 while ensuring proper development of the agriculture sector.

Speaking after inauguration of 'Gopinath Gad', the late BJP Gopinath Munde's memorial, on the occasion of his birth anniversary today, he lauded the contribution made by him in building the party in Maharashtra, where the saffron outfit is heading its first government.

"The government has launched soil health card scheme for farmers. By 2019, all farmers will get these cards. A sum of Rs 75,000 crore has been provided per year for irrigation network," he said highlighting pro-farmer initiatives taken by Narendra Modi government.

Lauding Munde's role in Beed district of central Maharashtra, he said "the glory days of BJP in Maharashtra today are due to Mundeji who ensured the party's spread among the poor and downtrodden."

"I have come here to pay my respects to Mundeji on behalf of crores of BJP workers," he said, adding that he washed out infamies of notoriety and criminals in the state.

Munde, a former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra who also served as a Union Minister, contributed to the organisational structure of the party in every region and village, Shah said.

The BJP chief also praised Fadnavis, who completed one year in office on October 31 as head of the first party-led government in Maharashtra, saying he was doing "commendable" work.

"I am sure under his leadership Maharashtra will regain the numero uno spot (in economic sphere). So clean has been the government under his leadership that the Opposition hasn't been able to level allegation of a single rupee worth of corruption...The government is for the welfare of backward, downtrodden and poor," he said.