Ahead of Budget 2016, PM urges states to implement schemes for farmers

Pitching for converting farmers’ challenges into opporunities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today urged all states to give priority to implementation of the “roadmap” for boosting the agriculture sector with a target of doubling the income of farmers by 2022.

Addressing a farmers’ rally here, he sought to hardsell the recently-launched Crop Insurance scheme, which he termed as a “protective shield”, and talked about various other initiatives including plans to launch e-platform for marketing of agriculture products in April as part of efforts to ensure welfare of the farming community.

“Today, there are several challenges before the farmers...  Is there no solution to these challenges? These can be converted into opportunities if you (farmers) help me and states implement the various schemes properly,” Modi said.

Noting that the subject of agriculture is with states, he said “the states where some work has been done in the farming sector have witnessed progress. But in the states having the approach of ‘chalta hai’ (let it happen) and ‘election time pe dekh lenge’ (will see at the time of elections), the fate of the farmers has been left to the God. After God, there is nobody to help them.”

Underlining the vision of doubling the income of farmers by 2022, the 75^th independence of the country, Modi said, “From this land of Uttar Pradesh, I urge all the states to give priority to agriculture and then see the changes. The roadmap is there, you only have to implement it.”

He said “there is no criticisim” of any state and “there is no need for it” but he only wants to “urge” them with the promise that “the Centre is ready to work shoulder-to-shoulder” with them in the implementation of schemes.

He said agriculture should be made employment-oriented to make it attractive to the new generation cultivators as he noted that agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors were the backbone of the country’s economy.