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Centre failed to double farmers’ income: Harsimrat
Speaking on the President’s address in Parliament, Harsimrat said, “Even though the President stressed that improving the situation for farmers, poor and youth was the focus of the Union government, the same has not been supported with data.”
Former Union minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday said the Centre has failed to double farmers’ income, increase employment, control inflation and improve the lot of the poor and downtrodden.
Speaking on the President’s address in Parliament, Harsimrat said, “Even though the President stressed that improving the situation for farmers, poor and youth was the focus of the Union government, the same has not been supported with data.”
Asserting that the data was to the contrary, the Bathinda MP said even though the Union government had promised to double farmers’ income by 2022, this promise remained elusive.
“As per the data of the National Statistical Office (NSO), the average income of agriculture households increased from ₹8,000 per month in 2015 to only ₹10,000 per month in 2019.” She said in stark contrast, the NSO data revealed that the average debt of farmers had increased by 58% in the same period,” she said adding that 10,880 farmers also ended their life in 2021 as per the centre for science and environment.
Stating that farmers were most indebted in Punjab, with small farmers in the state incurring a debt of ₹3 lakh per farmer, she said the issues of farmers were also not being addressed.
