CM: Farmers became part of govt agenda only after Modi became PM | Lucknow News
Lucknow: Paying rich tributes to former PM and farmer leader Chaudhary Charan Singh on his birth anniversary, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said farmers became part of the govt’s agenda for the first time after PM Narendra Modi took charge in 2014.“Through soil health cards, PM Modi in 2014 made people aware of the health of mother earth. Farmers were connected with the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, followed by initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, MSP assurance, and improved facilities for farmers from seed to market,” he said after offering tributes at the statue of Chaudhary at Vidhan Bhawan. Observed as Kisan Samman Diwas, the occasion saw the CM handing over tractor keys to five farmers under the Kisan Samridhi Yojna and flagging off 25 tractors. He also felicitated farmers, scientists, FPOs and others. He inaugurated the plot allotment process of the Chaudhary Charan Singh Seed Park at Atari, Lucknow. Yogi said farmers in Uttar Pradesh progressed through their hard work. He said agriculture yields grain like gold when a farmer sweats it out and channels his energy. The CM said PM Modi honoured farmers by conferring the Bharat Ratna on Charan Singh. Likewise, he said, the agricultural loan waiver programme was implemented for small and marginal farmers. “Earlier, farmers were not part of govt schemes, but today they receive benefits from every scheme. Middlemen no longer decide crop prices. If farmers get good prices in the market, that is fine; otherwise, the govt purchases their produce,” he said, adding that the production of crops such as paddy, wheat, gram, mustard, bajra, and maize increased manifold in Uttar Pradesh, while costs came down. Yogi said Charan Singh always worked for the interests of the nation, villages and farmers. “He believed that as long as farmers remain poor, India cannot become rich; rural India is the real India, and the path to prosperity passes through fields and farms,” he said. He said during his tenure as UP CM, Chaudhary implemented land reforms, abolished zamindari, enacted the Land Reforms Act, passed the Mandi Act to end exploitation by middlemen, abolished the patwari system, provided land revenue exemptions for small and marginal farmers up to 3.5 acres, exempted fertilisers from sales tax, launched the food-for-work programme, and played a key role in establishing NABARD to provide credit for agriculture and rural development. Yogi said in the last 8 years, about Rs 75,000 crore more was transferred to farmers’ accounts as sugarcane payments than what was paid between 1996 and 2017 (21–22 years). The CM said UP is steadily moving towards farmer prosperity, with farmers adopting new technology and quality seeds to achieve higher output at lower costs. Yogi said with support from the Centre, 20 new Krishi Vigyan Kendras were established in the past eight years, taking the total in Uttar Pradesh to 89, the highest across nine climatic zones in any state. Centres of Excellence are also being developed. The agriculture department is working continuously. He said to keep the legacy of Chaudhary Charan Singh alive, a modern seed park is being developed in Lucknow. “Timely availability of high-quality seeds can increase production by up to 30 percent. In Barabanki, 31 acres have been identified for an advanced tissue culture lab for crops like sugarcane, banana and potato,” he said. The CM also mentioned Padma Shri Ramsaran Verma for his innovative farming technique. Listing out farmer-centric initiatives, Yogi said loans of farmers connected to 1.6 million private tubewells were waived, and the govt is paying Rs 3,600 crore annually to the power corporation. He said the loans through cooperative LDBs earlier carried an interest rate of 11.5%. This, he said, is now reduced to 6%. “The govt will do everything in farmers’ interest. Schemes are no longer slow, farmers feel secure, and the govt stands firmly with them,” he said.
