Farmers Movement Archive

PM slams Opposition for ‘supporting’ middlemen

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attacked the Opposition for advocating the interests of middlemen and peddling “lies” about his government’s efforts to introduce lasting reforms in agriculture and rural development. He was speaking at a programme to launch the distribution of property cards under the ‘SVAMITVA’ (ownership) scheme via videoconferene. The scheme uses drone and satellite technology to map physical assets in rural areas and aims at digitisation of property records, easing the way for village dwellers to access institutionalised credit against property. The Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh were also present via video link during the programme. Stating that government had done more for villages and their residents in the past six years than what was done in six decades before that, Mr. Modi referred to a number of projects, including opening of bank accounts, building of toilets and houses, cooking gas scheme and electrification. “Many people don’t want villages, poor, farmers and labourers to be atmanirbhar (self-reliant),” he said, adding that his government’s measures to empower them, including by directly transferring to farmers and others, had hit the Opposition hard by cutting off their source of illegitimate earning. Without naming the Opposition, he said it was upset not for the farmers but for itself as it was for long strengthened by the power of middlemen, brokers and commission agents. The Congress and the BJP’s own former ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal have been opposing the farm laws enacted by the government last month. Parliament had passed The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 during the monsoon session.

The Hindu

2020-10-12

New Delhi