Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah joined a group of farmers at Mehrauli in New Delhi on December 25, 2020, as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed them. Speaking on the occasion, Shah said that under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, the Central Government is committed to the welfare of farmers.
All farmers at the village expressed their full faith in all the farmers’ welfare policies and agricultural reforms of the Modi government. Shah said that for the last six years, Modi government has taken every decision keeping in focus the poor, farmers, and the underprivileged that empowered them with their rights and changed their lives for the better. The PM Kisan is also one such unprecedented scheme whereby PM Modi sends Rs 6,000 to farmers’ accounts every year, Shah said, according to a PIB release.
Shah said that the PM Modi today released another installment of PMKisan crediting Rs 18,000 crore in the accounts of 9 crore farmers so that they can fulfil their agriculture related needs.
The Union Home Minister said that when the Prime Minister came out with the KisanSamman Nidhi scheme, almost all the Opposition leaders opposed it. They demanded waiver of farmers’ debts. Shah said that while the UPA government waived off a loan of just Rs 60,000 crore in 10 years, PM Modi has in just two-and-a-half years transferred Rs 95,000 crore so far directly to the accounts of ten crore farmers.
Presenting a comparative study of agricultural data before and after 2014, Shah said that the production of food grains in 2013-14 was only 265 million tonnes whereas today it has increased to 296 million tonnes. In 2013-14, the agricultural budget was only Rs 21,933 crore whereas today the agriculture budget under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi has increased to Rs 1,34,399 crore, Shah said.
Shah said, ” I just want to assure my farmer brothers across the country regarding the hue and cry the Opposition parties have raked up on the Agrarian Reforms laws, that all the three Agrarian Reforms Acts are in the best interest of the farmers, there is no harm to the farmers, neither the Mandis will be closed nor can anyone snatch even an inch of farmers’ land. So long as Narendra Modi ji is the Prime Minister of the country, no corporate can take away the land of the farmer brothers. Mandis will also be operational. I want to ask the opposition leaders which provision of these agrarian reform laws says that the mandis would be closed down. If you have the courage, come for a debate, our MPs are ready to discuss with you.”
The Union Home Minister also said that between 2009-2014, only about Rs 3,74,000 crore was spent for the purchase of paddy and wheat, while between 2014-2019, paddy and wheat worth Rs 8,22,000 crore was purchased.
Shah said, ” I just want to assure my farmer brothers across the country regarding the hue and cry the Opposition parties have raked up on the Agrarian Reforms laws, that all the three Agrarian Reforms Acts are in the best interest of the farmers, there is no harm to the farmers, neither the Mandis will be closed nor can anyone snatch even an inch of farmers’ land. So long as Narendra Modi ji is the Prime Minister of the country, no corporate can take away the land of the farmer brothers. Mandis will also be operational. I want to ask the opposition leaders which provision of these agrarian reform laws says that the mandis would be closed down. If you have the courage, come for a debate, our MPs are ready to discuss with you.”
The Union Home Minister said that the Shankarlal Guru Committee had recommended the agricultural reform laws that PM Modi has now brought in; in 2001, Montek Singh Ahluwalia also retained these proposals, Sharad Joshi Task Force also recommended it. These proposals also came in the Model APMC Act of 2003, these recommendations were also made in the report of the Swaminathan Commission and it was also recommended in the committee which was formed while Sharad Pawarji was Union Agriculture Minister, Shah said.