Oppn criticises govt over ‘agrarian crisis’

NEW DELHI, Mar 16:  Opposition today came down hard on the government for the “agrarian crisis” and demanded waiver of loans of farmers across the country and not only of those from Uttar Pradesh as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during campaigning.
During a debate on Demand for Grants for the Agriculture Ministry in the Lok Sabha, members from opposition parties said over 12,000 farmers had committed suicide last year and asked the government to come out with a concrete roadmap for resolving the increasing farm distress.
They said failure to do so may hit the entire economy.
Talking about suicide by farmers in Maharastra, Dhananjay Mahadik of NCP said the government must strongly support the farmers including extending crop insurance and putting in place an effective marketing system for their produce.
“The government must waive loans of all the farmers across the country to bring down the number of suicides,” he said.
The MP from Maharastra also suggested serving of nuts to school children under the mid-day meal scheme, saying it may benefit the farmers. He also demanded supporting the dairy sector.
Congress member from Arunachal Ninong Ering said considering the rapid rate of farmers’ suicide, no farmers will be left in the country for the government to double their income.
He asked, “Why have you said loans of farmers from UP only will be waived? Why are you not waiving loans of farmers from the North East, from Maharastra, from Jammu and Kashmir? Why are you adopting a selective approach?”
Ering said Arunachal Pradesh always stood strongly for national interest and the government must also take every possible step to help farmers from the bordering state.
BJP member Sumedhanand Saraswati called for extensive use of organic manure and said studies should be carried to examine whether cow urine could be helpful.
Badruddin Ajmal (AIUDF) demanded a concrete roadmap for addressing problems of the farmers, saying their condition may trigger a ripple effect for the whole economy.
He asked the Prime Minister to fulfil his promise of making the entire North East a hub for organic farming.
Ajmal also demanded compensation for farmers in Assam whose crops were damaged in floods.
“The perennial problem of floods in Assam must be resolved as it will grately benefit the farmers,” he said.
He also sought support for the state’s tea growers.
BJP member Uday Pratap Singh said there was a need for long-term policy planning to address problems of the farming community.
He also called for a review of the land ceiling policy, saying farmers must be allowed to retain bigger plots of farm land. The MP also called for fixing a limit for allowing sale of agricultural land.
“There should be law to ensure that farmers cannot sell their land beyond a certain limit,” he said. (PTI)

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