Modi govt has no plan to double farmers’ income, says minister

On expected lines, a Modi government minister has revealed that the government has no plans to double the income of farmers. During the 2014 poll campaign, Narendra Modi and BJP’s manifesto had talked about ensuring a minimum of 50 per cent profits over the cost of production for the farmers.

Additionally, he had ensured to reform Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act 2003, implement farm insurance, adopt a 'National Land Use Policy' and had promised to rework the formula to fix the minimum support price (MSP) for crops like rice and wheat. All of these were nothing but jumlas for Modi and the Sangh Parivar.

During the ongoing winter session in Parliament, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti in a reply to a question said that the government is not working on any plans to double the income of farmers

However, the minister claimed that the government is working on some policies to increase the farmers income.

Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti was responding to a question by MP R Parthipan and Joice George, the question stated that would the Food Processing Industry Minister be pleased to state that is the government planning any schemes to double the farmers income? If yes, kindly provide the details?

In the written reply on December 18, the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti replied in ‘No’ to the question. It means that the government is not planning on any scheme to double the income of farmers by 2022.

Minister of state in her reply also said that the Ministry of Food Processing Industries is running Prime Minister Kisan Sampada Yojna for the promotion and development of food processing sector.

PM Modi and a lot of ministers in the cabinet have in the past claimed that the BJP led government is working in the direction to double the income of the farmers. Addressing farmers in June this year, PM Modi had said that the budget of the agriculture sector has been doubled to 2.12 lakh crores compared to the five years of UPA government. He claimed that the government has taken steps to provide the farmers the 1.5 time the price on the expenditure. He has said that our government is working towards doubling the income of farmers by 2022.

On July 20, the PIB has issued a press release. The release had mentioned about the target to achieve to double the farmers income by 2022. In the release, the government has informed that an inter-ministerial committee to double the income of the farmers by 2022 has been constituted. The committee will be headed by the CEO of the National Rainfed Area Authority.