Govt has empowered farmers: Modi
LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday listed out all that his government has done to empower India’s farmers in 2021 Budget and in prior years, in another outreach to protestors demanding the repeal of three farm laws aimed at opening up agricultural markets.
The government has decided to connect at least 1,000 mandis (agricultural markets) to the ENAM online agricultural trading platform to turn the markets into centres of profit for farmers, the PM said in a speech by video link to mark the centenary of the Chauri Chaura event, a landmark moment in the history of India’s freedom struggle.
“Now, when farmers go to mandis to sell their produce they will be able to do so with ease at any place across the country,” said the PM, who released a stamp to mark the centenary.
In addition, Modi noted that the Centre had allocated ₹40,000 crore for the development of rural infrastructure in the budget for financial year 2021-22, which has been described by many economists as a growthoriented package aimed at boosting the pandemic-ravaged economy.
“Farmers will directly benefit from investment in the infrastructure sector,” the PM said. “The decision of the Centre will make farmers atmanirbhar (selfreliant). Agriculture will turn into a profitable venture.”
February 4 marks 100 years of an event that took place in Chauri Chaura, a village in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, known as United Province in British India, when a large group of protesters participating in Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement clashed with the police, who opened fire. In retaliation, the protestors set fire to a police station. The incident left three civilians and 22 policemen dead. Days later, a saddened Gandhi halted the non-cooperation movement.
Modi’s speech came on the 68th day of a protest by thousands of farmers massed on the borders of the national capital demanding the repeal of three contentious laws pushed through by the Bharatiya Janata Party (Bjp)-led government.
The laws aim to ease restrictions on trade in farm produce by setting up free markets. Farm unions say the laws will erode their bargaining power, weaken a system of assured prices and make them vulnerable to exploitation by corporate giants.
Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Kumar Lallu said the Prime Minister should also have paid tribute to the 150 farmers who have died in the course of the protest.
“Instead of talking with the farmers, the central government is trying to suppress their movement. It clearly shows the antifarmer attitude of the central government,” Bahujan Samaj Party’s general secretary Lalji Verma said.
Samajwadi Party’s president Akhilesh Yadav said the BJP should take a lesson from the Chauri Chaura movement, and repeal the three laws.