Modi stated during the opening session of the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress that small and medium farmers were denied government subsidies prior to 2014.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on Saturday that his government’s annual expenditure on agriculture and farmers exceeds Rs 6.5 lakh crore, and that each farmer is guaranteed a benefit of roughly Rs 50,000 per year.”
Every farmer receives an annual bonus
“Yeh Modi ki promise hai.” Aur maine jo kiya hai, woh bata raha hoon, vaade nahin bata raha hoon. And I’m telling you what I’ve done, not making promises),” Modi remarked, referring to the Congress’ poll vows.
Modi stated during the opening session of the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress that prior to 2014, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were the norm. Medium farmers were denied government assistance.
“You are witnessing the effects of policies that have been altered and decisions that have been made over the last nine years.” Do you recall farmer demand prior to 2014? Farmers used to complain that the government provided virtually little assistance. And whatever little assistance was given went into the pockets of middlemen. “Small and medium farmers continue to be excluded from government schemes,” he stated.
“In the last nine years, a lot has changed.” Today, crores of small farmers are receiving the Prime Minister’s Kisan Samman Nidhi. No more middlemen, no more phoney beneficiaries… Rs 2.5 lakh crore has been transferred directly in the last four years. Farmers’ bank accounts,” Modi stated. In comparison, he stated that the overall agriculture budget for the five years preceding 2014 was less than Rs 90,000 crore.
“Farmers are not burdened by global increases in fertilizer and chemical prices.” This has also been ensured. “This is Modi’s guarantee, which the BJP government has given you,” he continued.
“Today, a farmer can get a bag of urea for less than Rs 270.” A similar bag costs Rs 720 in Bangladesh, Rs 800 in Pakistan, Rs 2,100 in China, and more than Rs 3,000 in the United States, according to him.
What, after all, is the guarantee?
It demonstrates the significant work required to improve the farmer’s life. In general, in over the previous nine years, the BJP administration has spent over Rs 10 lakh crore on fertilizer subsidies alone. “What is a better guarantee?” he said.
Modi stated that his government is “very serious” about ensuring that farmers receive a fair price for their crops, saying, “In the last nine years, more than Rs 15 lakh crore has been given to farmers by increasing the MSP, and by procuring on MSP.”
“Every year, the central government spends over Rs 6.5 lakh crore on the agriculture sector and farmers.” This means that, on average, the government provides Rs 50,000 to each farmer in some form or another each year. This indicates that farmers will receive payments under the BJP government every year, and Rs 50,000 is spent in various ways. This is Modi’s assurance. And I’m not making promises; I’m just saying what I’ve done.”
“A few days ago, another major decision was made as part of the continuation of the farmer-friendly policy.” “The central government has announced a package worth Rs 3.70 lakh crore for farmers,” Modi said.
According to revised projections, the Centre will spend Rs 60,000 crore on PM-Kisan, Rs 76,279 crore on agricultural and related sectors (excluding PM-Kisan), and Rs 2.25 lakh crore on fertilizer subsidies during 2022-23.
Instead of politics (rajniti), the PM asked cooperatives to become carriers of social (samaj niti) and national policy (rashtra niti). He urged them to be a model of transparency and corruption-free governance, as well as to embrace digital tools in a huge way.
Modi urged cooperatives to increase production of oilseeds and pulses in order to enable the country to become self-sufficient in cooking oils.
The Prime Minister also mentioned the recently launched PM-PRANAM scheme, which aims to encourage chemical-free farming and the use of alternative fertilizers. He advised cooperatives to sponsor five communities in each area in order to verify that no chemicals were used in agriculture.
Amit Shah, Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation, spoke at the occasion and remarked that under Modi’s leadership, the cooperative movement has become stronger. He stated that the Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022, will be debated during Parliament’s Monsoon Session. He stated that inter-ministerial discussions are taking place regarding the proposed cooperative university, which will be established soon.
THE PRESIDENT’S REMARKS, which portrayed the advantages of government initiatives as “guarantees” come as the Congress has made “five guarantees” its key electoral plank – first in Karnataka, and now in Madhya Pradesh, which goes to polls later this year.