Lies, propaganda on agriculture reforms have been exposed: PM
By TIOL News Service
NEW DELHI, FEB 16, 2021: PRIME Minister Mr Narendra Modi said on Tuesday the new farm laws will benefit small and marginal farmers and the misinformation campaign against the agricultural reforms have been exposed.
Hitting out at the opposition parties, he said the smear campaign against the agricultural laws is spreading a false narrative for political benefits, even as farmers have benefitted from the Centre's recent schemes.
As he laid the foundation stone of Chittaura Lake and inaugurated a medical college in Uttar Pradesh via video conference, he said the farmers in the State have availed the benefits from the improved power, water, roads and health facilities.
"The new agriculture reforms will also benefit small and marginal farmers the most. Some people are propagating rumours against these reforms," he emphasised.
The Prime Minister said "those who enacted laws to invite foreign companies to India are now protesting against the government trying to give opportunities to Indian private companies."
He said the farmers themselves have exposed the lies and propaganda and unmasked those rumour-mongering politicians.
He said since the enactment of the three farm laws in the Monsoon Session of the Parliament in 2020, paddy procurement has doubled to around 65 lakh tonne in Uttar Pradesh in spite of the pandemic.
The government has also released Rs. 1 lakh crore to sugarcane farmers and enabled the mills to pay the farmers.
He said the 'Swamitva' scheme will get rid of the possibility of illegal occupation of a villager's house as it surveys and then hands over property cards to the owners. The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi has seen 2.5 crore farmer families receive money directly into their bank accounts.
"Farmers had to wake up overnight to use electricity for irrigation. We have removed such problems by improving power supply," he said.
The Prime Minister said the formation of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) is also a major initiative to consolidate the farmlands and address the issue of shrinking cultivation area per farmer.
Similarly, small farmers associated with vegetables, fruits, milk, fish and many such businesses are now being connected to big markets through Kisan Rail.
The Prime Minister said that the government's aim is to empower every citizen and make India Aatmanirbhar so the claims of usurping farmlands through the agricultural reforms are hard to believe.