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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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