Page 44 - 31DEC2018E

AGRICULTURE

Assembly election results bring

farmers issues at forefront

There have been reports that Narendra Modi led government is contemplating to write-off billions of
dollars of loans to please the farmers ahead of General Elections of 2019, KOMAL AMIT GERA analysis

• Lending help Modi government is reportedly contemplating to write-off billions of dollars in loans to please the farmers

he results of assembly polls turned farming into a Hobson’s choice November 30 in New Delhi was the
in states of Chattisgarh, for many cultivators. The NSSO study fourth such congregation in last one
Madhya Pradesh and Rajas- (2003) reported that 40 per cent of In- and a half year. There have been reports
than have brought the issues dian farmers expressed their desire to that Narendra Modi led government is
T of the farmers at the fore- leave farming, it being a non-profitable contemplating to write-off billions of
front and all political parties have now occupation. dollars of loans to please the farmers
discerned (if not openly accepted) that Framers with small landholdings ahead of General Elections of 2019. The
agricultural distress has reached a cli- have no other option but to pursue announcements probably are not a
max and needs to be reversed. Though farming, though it is completely unvi- guarantee to ballots as the revision of
relatively less educated, farmers of our able for them in the post-liberalisation Minimum Support Prices of Crops just
country have now started understand- era. before the assembly elections failed to
ing that non-implementation of the The agrarian distress had been fetch the desired results for Modi Gov-
promises and announcements by the chasing the farmers for long but of ernment. The rural voter is more aware
policymakers has taken a toll on their late, more organised protests by the now. The manifesto of 2014 election
lives and they want more than rhetoric. farmers in different states and at the had painted a very rosy picture for the
Farming is livelihood of more than half national capital has found voice for farmers but the farmers across India in-
of India’s population. This probably is their anger and frustration. The major terviewed for this article told that their
the only vocation, in which same skill consequence of farm distress is the de- plight has gone from bad to worse. The
and factor of production (land) is passed teriorating lives of marginal and small fanfare created around crop insurance
on from one generation to another for farmers, who find it increasingly hard scheme, soil health card, e-NAM, hike
many years to eke out a modest liveli- to sustain with small landholdings and in minimum support price, doubling
hood. Over the past few years, the divi- are getting pushed out of agriculture. of income did not get any results rather
sions of landholdings, burgeoning cost The farmers, of late have united at na- opened a new window for misuse of
of production and lack of education has tional level and their recent protest on funds and corruption for officials.

WTEHELKA / 31 DECEMBER 2018 44 WWW.TEHELKA.COM WTEHELKA / 31 DECEMBER 2018 45 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

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