New Delhi . Three days ago, a video of a farmer dancing to the beat of a dhol from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh went viral. He and other farmers like him were getting only Rs 1.16 or less per kg of garlic, which was almost 100 times what was being sold by traders and wholesalers.
With the viral video, a debate started on how much do farmers get their due?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on February 28, 2016 that his government planned to pursue policies that would double farmers’ income in 2022, when India celebrates its 75th Independence Day.
More than a month after the sixth anniversary of the announcement in 2022, the debate is not only over whether farmers’ income has doubled, but also when exactly this was to happen?
Firstly, there was no mention of any promise in the Union Budget document – nor in the speech of the Finance Minister. Then the whole march went on like this and the government still did not say anything.
Political activist Yogendra Yadav said that this is very clear. This was announced by the Prime Minister on February 28, 2016. So, ideally February 28, 2022 should be the date when we consider whether farmers’ income doubled or not.
Ashok Dalwai had chaired the committee that came out with a huge report on doubling farmers’ income and claimed that the announcement was made in 2016 and promised to double the income in six years, when India celebrates the 75th anniversary of independence . “Keeping that in mind, from 2016-17 it will be 2022-23. We are still working on it,” Dalwai told -AnyTV News.
Income doubled?
In the recently concluded Parliament session, Congress MP from Assam Pradyut Bardoloi along with other MPs – Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Maneka Sanjay Gandhi and Nama Nageswara Rao had asked a question about doubling the income.
Responding, Bardoloi tweeted on April 5, “In 2016, the BJP government set a target of doubling farmers’ income from Rs 8,059 per month in 2015-16 to Rs 21,146 per month (accounting for inflation) by 2022” In reply to my question in Lok Sabha today, it is clear that the Government of India is far from achieving these results.
Meanwhile, Yadav drew attention to the latest round of situation assessment surveys conducted by the National Statistical Organisation. The average monthly income of the farmers was estimated at Rs 10,281. Yadav said that even when inflation is adjusted, it turns out to be about 20 per cent more, not double. Also, income has actually come down in the four major states, looking at income from all sources.
As he asked for the date, Dalwai also clarified in this case that the evaluation will be done only after March 2023 and it is too early to say anything about the actual numbers.
Dalwai, however, presented data to support that “the government is on the right track. Our effort was to increase yield per unit – per hectare, per cattle, per unit plantation, per unit poultry, fisheries, Meat or milk. The data shows that we have achieved the target in a number of measures.”
—AnyTV News
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