The condition of farmers came into focus in Rajya Sabha today with members expressing concern over their plight and making a number of suggestions, including a MNREGA-type law to ensure fixed income and an amnesty scheme to tackle their debts.
The House took up a short duration discussion on the condition of farmers, reply to which remained pending today.
Participating in the debate, Pramod Tiwari (Cong) said farmers and youth are the most ignored sections under the Modi government and claimed that farmer suicides have been continuously taking place.
He said the average salary of a farmer was a meagre Rs 20,000 and urged Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh to ensure that farmers' needs are taken care of.
Chandrapal Singh Yadav (Samajwadi Party) hit out at the government over the poor condition of farmers and urged the government to bring a law on the pattern of MNREGA to ensure a fixed income to the farmers.
Referring to the Prime Minister's ambition of doubling the income of farmers by 2022, he said Modi should understand that it cannot be done by mere words.
JD(U) leader K C Tyagi said the government should come with an amnesty scheme for the farmers so that their debts are taken care.
He said mere words would not do and the government needs to take concrete action to improve the plight of the farmers.
D Raja (CPI) said agriculture in the country is in deep crisis and farmers are facing unprecedented distress, forcing suicides.
He demanded setting up of Farm Income Commission to ensure minimum living income for farmers.
Alleging that free trade agreement at WTO has created adverse market for farmers, he also demanded debate before such pacts.
Rajpal Singh Saini (BSP) demanded that only barren land
be given for purposes of setting up industries.
C P Narayanan (CPI-M) said government should not insist on farmers' tie-ups with corporates, stressing that it had led to worsening of their plight.
Bhupinder Singh (BJD) demanded ensuring prompt loans to farmers.
P L Punia (Cong) expressed serious concern over curtailment in budget for the agriculture sector.
Avinash Rai Khanna (BJP), while expressing concern over farmers' suicides, said efforts should be made to educate the agriculturists to enable them to benefit from various government schemes.
Madhusudan Mistry (Cong) emphasised the need for preserving the pure seeds with tribals and at the same time demanded passing of the legislation on seeds, pending before both the houses.
Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena) said more than a lakh farmers have committed suicide and situation is grim in his home state Maharashtra, which is ruled by BJP-Shiv Sena combine.
He said the state government has admitted in the High Court that 130 farmers committed suicide last month and that there have been 2,700 suicide cases from 2015 onwards.
He expressed anguish that when it came to industrialists, banks were ready to waive off loans even of Rs 10,000 crore but in case of farmers, they were not ready to waive off even Rs 5,000 crore.
Viplove Thakur (Cong) demanded a survey on farmers suicide.
