No bias against farmers of any state, agri minister tells Priyanka Gandhi in LS
Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured the members of Parliament that the government will leave no stone unturned for farmers’ welfare
Union minister for agriculture and farmer welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra engaged in a question-and-answer session in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday with the Congress leader asking multiple questions pertaining to her constituency and the minister asserting that the Centre will not discriminate against farmers from any state, be it from Kerala or Karnataka.
Priyanka Gandhi asked questions to Chouhan on issues ranging from price volatility of spices to the 2024 Wayanad landslide. She asked about the achievement of the “Vidarbha Package” which also included three districts of Kerala–Wayanad, Palakkad and Kasaragod. She further asked if the Agriculture Ministry will be making a special review on Wayanad, keeping in mind the massive problems faced by the farmers in view of the disaster in 2024. She then apprised Chouhan that the rubber farmers face massive difficulties in her constituency and Minimum Support Price (MSP) can be introduced.
Gandhi recounted how the Prime Minister had gone to Wayanad after the disaster, and saw farmers’ pain. “I request the Minister to show some sympathy to the farmers of Wayanad and Kerala,” she said.
Chouhan responded: “A farmer is a farmer, whether from Kerala or Karnataka…There is no question of bhed-bhav (discrimination). I want to say that whenever a disaster comes, every state gets funds allocated under SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) by the central government based on a recommendation. In this, 75% is Centre’s share and the remaining is of the state, and in case of any disaster the money is used. However, the Centre also sends a special team and based on the findings additional money is being sent. I want to assure the members that the Centre has allocated additional funds of ₹138 crore…there will be no discrimination.”
Responding to another question by Shirdi MP Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure of Shiv Sena (UBT), who asked about the farmers’ suicide cases in Maharashtra, Chouhan assured the members that the government will leave no stone unturned for farmers’ welfare.
The minister said there are various schemes to help the farmers, for instance: PM Kisaan Samman Nidhi Scheme, Kisaan Credit Scheme where the loan amount has been increased from ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh for farmers, to avoid exploitation. He added that the Narendra Modi government is giving subsidies for fertilisers to the tune of 1.95 lakh crore, and said: “Then there are schemes like micro irrigation, availability of ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research Krishi Bhavan)-grown seeds, mechanisation is happening at various stages to help the farmers. We have various schemes to grow fruits, vegetables among others.”
“I want to assure the members that this government will leave no stone unturned for farmers’ welfare,” he said.
On a personal note, Chouhan said, “I am also going from being in Grihastha Ashram to Vanprastha Ashram. Today is my son’s wedding reception. From tomorrow I will become a Vanprasthi and use all my resources to serve the farmers which is like serving the God.”
