AMN
Rajya Sabha today took up discussion on the workings of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Initiating the discussion, Randeep Singh Surjewala of Congress criticised the government for not being able to fulfil the promise of doubling farmers’ income by 2022. He alleged that the income of farmers has rather come down in some states. Mr Surjewala also said the allocation for agriculture in the budget has come down. He demanded a legal guarantee of MSP to farmers.
Surendra Singh Nagar of the BJP said the Narendra Modi government implemented the Swaminathan Committee report for the welfare of the farmers. He said farmers have managed to come out of the hold of private money lenders due to initiatives like PM KISAN.
V Vijayasai Reddy of YSRCP expressed concern that agricultural lands are being converted to non-agricultural use. He also said there is a lack of adequate storage and processing facilities. He urged the Agriculture Minister to optimise the supply chain of agricultural produce.
Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya said if farmers do not get fair remuneration for their produce, there will be erosion in the agriculture economy.
Phangnon Konyak of the BJP said the Agriculture Ministry’s efforts are essential for fostering a productive, sustainable, and equitable agricultural system. She said increasing the income of farmers has been one of the key priorities of the Narendra Modi government.
Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Fauzia Khan of the NCP, Dr John Brittas of the CPI (M), and RPN Singh of the BJP are among those who participated in the debate.
The discussion remained inconclusive. Later, the House was adjourned for the day.