A BJP member in Rajya Sabha today raised the issue of plight of women farmers and demanded setting up of an Agro Commission for them to determine their wages along with a separate agro women bank for them.
Tarun Vijay (BJP) said, while the entire country is talking of farmers suicide, no one is talking about women farmers who are working hard, especially in hill states, to earn their livelihood.
"Agriculture and allied sectors in India employ 89.5 per cent of the total female labour. About 84 per cent women are engaged in agriculture, either as cultivators or labourers, as against 67 per cent male workers.
"Despite more than 400 million women out of the total 600 million female population depending upon crops, most of them are getting less pay in comparison to the male farmers and face discrimination. I appeal to the government to set up an Agro Commission for Women farmers to work out their wages and grant recognition to them as farmers," he said.
He added that there should also be a separate Agro Women Bank for such women farmers, as she was independently earning livelihood as farmers and was not just w wife, daughter or mother of a farmer.
Almost the entire House, cutting across party lines, stood in support of the demand.
Raising another issue, Ritabrata Banerjee (CPI-M) raised the issue of suicide of 25 potato farmers in West Bengal saying the government is in complete denial mode and potato growers are dying.
He was faced with stiff opposition from TMC members who did not want him to speak against the state.
Deputy Chairman P J Kurien assured them that any allegation against the state government will be expunged and members are free to move a privilege if any misrepresentation of facts is made.
"25 potato farmers have committed distress suicides since March 4, 2015 and since September 2011, 120 farmers have committed suicides...We want a fact finding team to go there," the CPI(M) member said.
Banerjee alleged that government is trying to stifle the voice of the people in every possible way.
"But that cannot be done...The regime is doing its best to suppress all truth...But the reality is that farmers have committed suicides," he said.
