Instead of the farmers, it is the opposition parties which are agitating for their ulterior motives in Uttarakhand. Stating this, the Bharatiya Janata Party state president Banshidhar Bhagat said that three very important laws were passed in the parliament in the interests of the farmers but unfortunately the farmers are being instigated and misled. The decisions taken by the government for the welfare of farmers have not been taken before by any government, he said.
Bhagat said, “Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has accorded top priority to villages, the poor and farmers. The farm laws will bring a revolutionary change in the condition and future of farmers. The budget of the Agriculture ministry was Rs 12,000 crore under the UPA government in 2009. This budget has now grown manifolds to Rs 1,34,000 crore. One can gauge the concern of the Modi government for farmers from this.”
Bhagat stressed that the Modi government is committed to the welfare of farmers and before now no government had spent Rs 75,000 crore in one year in the interests of farmers. The Modi government took a revolutionary initiative and announced a Rs one lakh crore package for agricultural infrastructure. Additionally, the central cabinet has also granted approval to Rs 20,000 crore package for fishery, Rs 15,000 crore for animal husbandry, Rs 4,000 crore for herbal cultivation and Rs 1,000 crore package for food processing.
Bhagat further said, “The farm bills are revolutionary steps for ensuring the welfare of farmers.These will end the role of the middlemen while also providing a free market to the farmers. The farmers will be able to sell their produce at higher rates. The Modi government has provided double benefit to the farmers. If they sell their produce in the Mandi, they will get rates at higher MSP and if they sell outside the Mandi they will get higher rates along with the benefit of technology. From buying seeds to selling their produce, the farmers used to be surrounded by middlemen. Due to the middlemen affecting the income of the farmers, they were unable to get fair price for their hard work. Due to the provisions made in these bills, the farmers will now be able to sell their produce in the Mandi or outside the Mandi at good rates.”
Thursday, 10 December 2020 | PNS | Dehradun
