PM Modi meets Gujarat Assembly Speaker; talks cover agriculture, dairy and cooperation

New Delhi/Gandhinagar, Aug 25 (IANS) Gujarat Legislative Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday and said that discussions during the meeting covered cooperation, agriculture, nature and issues concerning livestock farmers.

Sharing details of the meeting on social media platform X, Chaudhary said he had the privilege of having a cordial meeting with PM Modi and described the Prime Minister as “village, poor, youth and farmer-friendly and people-oriented”.

Chaudhary said the Prime Minister had consistently prioritised the interests of farmers and livestock rearers. “Even amid global pressures, he has firmly protected the interests of livestock farmers by maintaining a ban on milk imports,” he said.

The Speaker also referred to the Centre’s GOBARdhan scheme, saying the PM Modi-led government had taken a “historic step” towards making livestock farmers self-reliant through a programme worth more than Rs 23,000 crore.

The meeting also had a local connection for Chaudhary, who represents Tharad in the Gujarat Assembly. He presented PM Modi with a shawl made through handicraft work by women from Tharad.

“This shawl is a beautiful symbol of the skill and spirit of self-reliance of our sisters,” Chaudhary said, adding that the manner in which the Prime Minister accepted it is “a matter of pride for all mothers and sisters”.

Chaudhary has been Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly since December 2022, after being elected from the Tharad constituency in the 2022 Assembly elections.

He had previously served as an MLA from Radhanpur and Vav and held ministerial portfolios in the state government. Alongside his legislative role, Chaudhary is chairman of Banas Dairy.

He was re-elected unopposed as chairman in October last year for a third consecutive term. Banas Dairy is one of Gujarat’s major cooperative dairy institutions and is based in Banaskantha.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of Chaudhary’s longstanding involvement in the cooperative dairy sector, making livestock farming and rural livelihoods among the key areas reflected in his public work.

–IANS

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