Jammu: Hitting out at the Opposition for protests against three recently enacted agriculture laws, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said the NDA government has effected a steady hike in minimum support price (MSP) for crops to help increase farmers’ income. He also said contract farming, as allowed in one of the three laws, will be for crops and not for the land, and alleged that the farmers are being misled to believe otherwise.
“During the last six years of the government, a number of historic steps were taken for the welfare of farmers and there has been a steady hike in MSP to help increase their income,” Singh told a press conference here. He said the NDA government has increased MSP during its last six years. The MSP for wheat, which stood at Rs 1,526 per quintal in 2015-16, rose to Rs 1,925 per quintal in 2019-2020.
“Similarly, the MSP of soybean was Rs 2,600 per quintal in 2015-16 rose to Rs 3,710 in 2019-2020 and Rs 3,880 in 2020-21,” the Union Minister of State in PMO said. Singh said those who want to analyse the working of this government should take into consideration scientific logic of “intent (niyat)” and “policy (niti)”.
He said that all those decisions taken by the government had clear intent and was followed with a robust policy for undertaking the development journey of India. “The new working culture was born under this rule. Our intent has been tested more than once. Intent gives birth to policy,” he said.
Criticizing opposition for holding protests, he said that those who have stakes in this, are happy and are satisfied. “They are giving us blessings. And those who have no stakes are on road holding protests,” he added. Singh said that a few days a tractor was burnt down in Delhi. “It was done by those who have no stakes and are no experts on farming. It was a professional protest. Those staging protests on payments are now well-wishers of farmers,” he said, referring to the protest by the Congress youth wing near India Gate in Delhi.
He said that no one can fool today’s farmers who are “agriculture technocrats” wearing jeans and pants. Singh said that some vested interests are spreading myths about abolition of MSP, which need to be countered at all levels.
While the law clearly prohibits sale, lease or mortgage of farmers’ land, Singh asked where is the question of farmers’ land being taken over by certain capitalists as is being alleged? He said the law clearly states that the agreement will be for crops, and not for the land. There have been protests against the three farm laws in some parts of the country.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday assented to the three bills — the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The minister said the government is planning to promote the domestic bamboo industry which is going to play a critical role in shaping the post-COVID-19 economy of India.
Singh, who also the minister for Development of North Eastern Region, said the northeastern region will be one of the favourite business destinations of India after the pandemic and bamboo is going to be the key pillar of economic activities. He said many business houses are looking at the northeastern region to exploit its vast agro-farming resources and people should not miss this opportunity.
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