Prime Minister shared thoughts on farm laws, Home Minister interferes when farmers’ stir intensifies; Bharatiya Kishan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) rejected the offer, saying that they would instead go to Jantar Mantar.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday came with his thoughts on newly passed farm laws and said they have paved the way for the long-pending reforms in the agriculture sector. The thoughts have come after the Union Minister offered to speak to the thousands of farmers gathered at the Singhu and Tikri border points of the National Capital
Prime Minister also said that the laws have opened doors to new opportunities for our farmers. Sharing his thoughts with the people of the country and abroad in his monthly radio program ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the prime minister said that new laws have been helpful to the farmers.
Citing the example of a farmer Jitendra Bhoiji in Dhule district of Maharashtra PM Modi said that he sold his corn produce to a local trader at Rs 3,32,000/. He was given Rs 25,000 as token money and was assured of the rest of the payment in the next 15 days.
However, later such circumstances developed, that he did not receive the remainder of his payment. This cycle of buying crops from farmers, keep the payment on hold for months was probably the long-standing tradition prevalent among buyers.
PM Modi explains farm laws
The Prime Minister further said that this continued for four months wherein Jitendra ji was not paid his dues. In this situation, the new farm laws that were passed in September came to his aid.
He further said, ‘Under the new farm laws, there has been a provision that a trader has to clear the dues of farmers within three days of the procurement, failing which, the farmer can lodge a complaint, and the local Sub-Divisional Magistrate has to ensure the grievance redressal of the farmer within one month and this is how Mr. Bhoiji got his rest of the payment due to the new farm law.’
He also urged students studying agriculture to visit villages in their vicinity and talk to the farmers and make them aware of innovations in farming and the recent agricultural reforms. “This way, you will become stakeholders in major reforms underway in the country,” Mr. Modi added.
PM Modi cited an example of one Virendra Yadav of Kaithal in Haryana, a farmer entrepreneur, who has returned from Australia two years back, earned good profit from the crop straw or ‘parali’. He bought straw bale machine with the help of agriculture department subsidy and collected crops ‘straws, converted to bales and sold to paper mills and allied industries. This way, in the last two years he made a turnover of Rs two crores and earned 50 lakh as profit.
Amit Shah intervenes as farmers’ stir intensifies
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the Centre will hear the concerns and demands of the protesting farmers, assuring to hold talks with them before December 3, only if they move to the protest site allocated by Delhi Police at the Burari grounds.
The Union Minister offered to speak to the thousands of farmers gathered at the Singhu and Tikri border points of the National Capital, as part of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march call given by various farmer organizations, against the new Agri laws passed by Parliament in September.
‘Home Minister has called for an early meeting on a condition, it’s not good. He should’ve offered talks with an open heart without condition. We’ll hold a meeting tomorrow morning to decide our response,’ Jagjit Singh, BKU Punjab President, said at Singhu border.
Protesters mainly from Punjab Haryana
The protesters, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, were joined by their counterparts in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, A group of nearly 200 farmers from Uttar Pradesh also gathered at the Ghazipur border with their vehicles on Saturday.
Mr. Shah claimed that a section of farmer unions wants an early discussion on their issues. The Government will speak to them the very next day, but first, they have to shift their protests from the highways at border areas to the allocated place, he said.
He further said the place decided by Delhi Police was well-equipped with all facilities, including medical attendance and they could protest there is a peaceful and democratic manner.
The Home Minister said though Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar has already invited farmers for talks on December 3, the government was willing to meet them earlier too. However, the ryots did not seem to go along with the Home Minister’s appeal. Bharatiya Kishan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) rejected the offer, saying that they would instead go to Jantar Mantar.