Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers being misled: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that some people in the country were trying to mislead farmers over agriculture Bills. “Misinformation is being spread in the country today by some people that farmers will not be getting right prices of their produce but our government is committed to helping farmers get fair prices…now they can sell their produce anywhere in the country without any restrictions”, he said, inaugurating and flagging off railway projects worth Rs. 2,700 crore in Bihar. Referring to the new farm Bills, the Prime Minister said, “The farmers of the country will get freedom from middlemen and they will get more options and opportunities to sell their produce… these Bills have come as a raksha kawach [protection safety] for them. But some people are spreading different kinds of misinformation about farm Bills…they’re protesting for the sake of protest. Farmers are watching them…they’re very much aware as to who are the middlemen”. ‘Tall claims’ They (the protesters) made tall claims about MSP [Minimum Support Price] but never fulfilled them for farmers’ benefit, he said. But the NDA government had done it, he noted. “I appeal to all farmers of the country to beware of those who are spreading misinformation over farm bills… these people who have been in power for decades and have spoken so much about farmers and agricultural issues have done nothing for them”, he said in an oblique reference to the Congress. “My government is committed to giving right MSP to farmers… there are arrangements that farmers of the country get the right MSP... Our government has been continuously trying to remove each and every problem of farmers ... through Pradhan Mantri Kisan Kalyan Yojna, Rs. 1 lakh crore has been directly transferred to the accounts of 10 crore farmers of the country.... I want to convey to you [farmers] that you should not be misled by anyone... ” he stated. The Lok Sabha has passed The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. Shiromani Akali Dal leader and its lone representative in the Union Cabinet, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, resigned over the Bills pushed by the government.

The Hindu

2020-09-19

Patna