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More talks, but few solutions at MP assembly spl session
Opting for multi-crop farming and making forays into animal husbandry, fisheries, food processing, cottage industries etc were some of solutions that the MP state assembly offered to farmers during its 473-minute special session convened on Thursday to discuss the farmers’ issues and pass a supplementary budget.
Opting for multi-crop farming and making forays into animal husbandry, fisheries, food processing, cottage industries etc were some of solutions that the MP state assembly offered to farmers during its 473-minute special session convened on Thursday to discuss the farmers’ issues and pass a supplementary budget.
The budget of over Rs 8,400 crore was passed in a bid to provide relief to farmers in light of the state-wide soybean crop failure.
However, except the passage of the budget, nothing that hadn’t been said before came up during the discussions.
Interestingly, hardly any member in the House gave details about the supplementary budget provisions and the discussion mostly revolved around charges and counter-charges, with both sides trying to outdo each other in projecting themselves as pro-farmer.
As many as 32 members of the Opposition, 13 from the ruling party, one BSP MLA and one independent MLA took part in the discussion which went on for more than six hours.
“No long-term measure was expected from this session which was primarily convened to pass the supplementary budget,” former director, agriculture, GS Kaushal told HT. Kaushal said unless the state promoted bio-farming, its farmers would continue to face troubles.
Speaking to HT, Congress MLA Ramniwas Rawat said that the government was not serious about discussing farmers’ issues.
“In my entire life, I have not seen such an unprecedented drought situation and damage to crops in the state but the BJP government has been doing lip service only instead of extending immediate financial assistance to the farmers,” he said.
Home minister Babulal Gaur said that the convening of the special session and passing of the supplementary budget showed how serious the state government was in providing relief to farmers.
Winter session from December 7
The winter session of state assembly would be held from December 7 to 18. A notification in this regard was issued by the governor of MP on Friday, an official release said. The 12-day session would have 10 sittings. This is the 9th session of the 14th assembly of MP, the release said.
