Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Modi waive for farmers is still on

Modi announced the removal of restriction on landholdings for the Prime Minister Kisan Sanman Yojana, which assures annual income of Rs6,000 to the farmers. “Immediately after forming our government next month, our government will remove the cap on landholdings and bring all farmers in the gamut of the scheme

Addressing a rally in tribal-dominated Nandurbar and Dindori constituencies on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced he will widen the scope of the Kisan Sanman scheme by removing the cap on landholdings. In a bid to pacify tribals who think the government will provide reservation to Dhangar (shephard) community under their Scheduled Tribes (ST) category, Modi said their reservation will remain intact.

The tribals, which dominate these constituencies, are reportedly unhappy over the possibility of tweaking their reservations and including the Dhangar (shepherd) community in the ST category. (HT)

Modi announced the removal of restriction on landholdings for the Prime Minister Kisan Sanman Yojana, which assures annual income of Rs6,000 to the farmers. “Immediately after forming our government next month, our government will remove the cap on landholdings and bring all farmers in the gamut of the scheme. We have also increased the number of forest produce eligible for minimum support price to 50, from the earlier 10. This will benefit tribals to a great extent,” he said.

The tribals, which dominate these constituencies, are reportedly unhappy over the possibility of tweaking their reservations and including the Dhangar (shepherd) community in the ST category.

In his rally at Dindori, while referring to the terror attacks in Sri Lanka on Sunday, boasted that since he assumed power, terrorist attacks have almost stopped. “Terrorists have realised that they will get a befitting reply. Innocent people in Sri Lanka were attacked by terrorists when they had gathered at churches for prayers on the occasion of Easter. We also used to face a similar situation with the previous government. Bomb blasts were a routine affair in many cities in India. But since BJP has come to power, terror attacks have been seen only in a few areas of Kashmir. This is because they [terrorists] have come to know that Modi will enter their houses to give them a befitting reply,” he said.

Modi, in his about 30-minute speech in Nandurbar, concentrated on the issues related to tribals and farmers. The PM said his government would not even think of tweaking the reservation for tribals. “Rest assured, until our government is in power, nobody will touch your reservation. Until I am in power, nobody will dare to snatch your land from you. The Congress has indulged in false propaganda against us,” he said.

He also took a dig at the former Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) government, claiming the earlier farm waivers were deposited in the accounts of either rich people or the party workers. “Their government deliberately avoided promoting the production of ethanol from sugarcane as they were safeguarding the interests of big industrial players. We have set up 12 refineries, including one in Nandurbar, that will largely benefit farmers who have excessive cane crops and are not getting appropriate rates for it,” he said.

Modi also announced implementing the pension scheme for farmers. “By strong implementation of the Aadhaar, we have ensured that amount of the government schemes is credited in your accounts directly. However, the Congress has moved the apex court, demanding the scrapping of Aadhaar,” he said.

Modi also appealed to voters to vote for a ‘strong government’.