Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat attended a 'Natural and Organic Farming Conference' (Prakritik evam Jaivik Kheti Sammelan) organised in the Dharampur Vidhan Sabha constituency of Uttarakhand on Saturday, 13 June 2026, engaging with farmers, party workers, and community leaders on sustainable agriculture.

Posting about the event on X, Shekhawat wrote that discussions covered promoting natural farming, raising farmers' incomes, and 'the positive changes in the agriculture sector under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.' He added that the Uttarakhand 'double engine government' — referring to the alignment of the BJP administration at the Centre and in the state — is committed to making farming 'more prosperous, sustainable, and environment-friendly' so that farmers become self-reliant (aatmanirbhar).

Context

The Dharampur conference brought together farmers and civil-society members to discuss a shift away from input-intensive cultivation toward low-cost, ecology-sensitive methods. Uttarakhand, a Himalayan state with fragile soils and a large proportion of small and marginal farmers, has been identified as a priority region for natural farming outreach by both the state and central governments.

Shekhawat, while primarily responsible for the Culture and Tourism portfolio, is also a senior BJP leader who regularly participates in party and government outreach on rural and agricultural issues, particularly in northern India.

Policy Backdrop

The push for natural farming has a clear policy lineage at the Centre. The Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Agriculture, funds organic clusters and certification support across states. Prime Minister Modi has publicly championed zero-budget natural farming methods — associated with agronomist Subhash Palekar — in multiple addresses since 2019, including at a dedicated National Conclave on Natural Farming.

These initiatives are framed within the government's broader Atmanirbhar Bharat agenda, which links soil-health restoration, reduced dependence on chemical inputs, and climate resilience with the goal of doubling farmers' incomes.

Stakeholders and Impact

Uttarakhand's farming community — predominantly small landholders in hilly terrain — stands to benefit from lower input costs and premium market access that certified organic and natural produce can command. Organic farming groups and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in the state have been active in building supply chains for natural produce to urban and export markets.

The 'double engine' framing signals that both the state government under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the central government are expected to coordinate on scheme implementation, budget allocations, and extension services for natural farming clusters in the region.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether the Dharampur conference translates into concrete follow-up measures — such as the expansion of natural farming clusters under PKVY, dedicated line items in Uttarakhand's agriculture budget, or new central scheme guidelines targeting Himalayan states. The #12YearsOfSeva hashtag used by Shekhawat indicates the event was also part of the BJP's broader outreach campaign marking the party's twelve years in government at the Centre, suggesting similar conferences may be held across other constituencies.