No need for apprehension: Rajnath tells Assam CM
NEW DELHI: Amidst a row over the citizenship amendment bill, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said the people of Assam should not be apprehensive about the proposed law and any future step would be taken only after consultations with all stakeholders.
This was conveyed to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal by the home minister at a meeting where the issue was discussed.
“The home minister said that there should be no apprehension in minds of the people of Assam about the citizenship amendment bill. The home minister has assured that before taking any step, the people of Assam will be taken into confidence. All stakeholders will be consulted,” he told reporters here.
Assam has been witness- ing protests against the central government’s move to enact the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 that seeks to grant citizenship to non-muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India due to religious persecution in those countries.
Organisations spearheading the protests said that the bill, if passed, would pave the way for giving citizenship to illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in Assam.
Sonowal also said all efforts would be made to address the concerns of people of Assam in this regard.
He requested the home minister to set up a committee to make recommendations for implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord which provides for constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the culture, social, linguistic identity and heritage of Assamese people.
“The home minister assured the chief minister that a committee will be set up at the earliest in consultation with the state government,” a Home Ministry statement said.
The meeting discussed various administrative and security arrangements related to the updation exercise of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) as per the orders of the Supreme Court.
The meeting discussed the arrangements required to dispose of claims and objections after publication of the next draft NRC on June 30, the statement said.
It was emphasised that an adequate opportunity must be given to people in this regard and necessary arrangements be made to avoid any inconvenience to public. It should be ensured that claims and objections are disposed of as per law, and in a proper manner.
It was also emphasised that a strong information education and communication campaign might be launched to inform people about the process of filing claims and objections after publication of final draft NRC, it said.
A massive exercise to update the NRC was being carried out in Assam following a directive of the Supreme Court in 2005. NEW DELHI: The NDA government’s “achievements” in the farm sector during the last 48 months are much higher when compared to the Congress’ 48-year rule since independence, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh claimed on Wednesday.
Listing out the first four years’ achievements of the Modi government in the agriculture sector, the minister said the Centre has rolled out several new schemes to boost production and cut input costs with an aim to achieve its target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.
Singh said programmes such as Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (crop insurance scheme), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojana (irrigation), Soil Health Card, neemcoated urea, linking of mandis to a electronic trading platform E-NAM, among others, are making a difference in the lives of farmers.
He also slammed the Opposition for failing to appreciate the changes these programmes are bringing at the ground level.
“For 48 years, one family was ruling the country and it did not do any major development work in the agri sector. Initiatives taken by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee were also stalled by the UPA. We have achieved much more in agriculture in just 48 months,” Singh told reporters here.
In the 2018-19 Union budget, the government announced it would fix minimum support price (MSP) 1.5 times higher than the cost of production and also frame a mechanism to ensure the support price reaches to farmers, he added.
Stating that modern markets are being developed to ensure better price to farmers, Singh said 585 mandis (wholesale markets) in 14 states have been linked so far to the online trading platform called E-NAM and additional 415 mandis will be connected by 2020.
There has been increase in government procurement of pulses, oilseeds and cotton through various schemes during the last four years of the government, he said.
To ensure farmers get bank loans, Singh said the Modi government has encouraged to form over 25 lakh joint liability groups in the last four years to whom Rs 27,930 crore has been released by the government.
Asked about the protest called by some farmers’ bodies from next month, Singh said the ministry has not received any representation from these organisations.
The country’s foodgrain production is estimated to have touched a record 279.51 million tonnes in the 2017-18 crop year (July-june) but the farmers in some states are in distress because of sharp fall in prices.