Modi Government's Pledge to Boost Farmers' Income Deemed a 'Jumla' by Cong MP

Senior Congress MP Randeep Surjewala criticised the Modi government on Thursday, stating that its promise to double farmers' income by 2022 was a mere slogan, as their earnings have actually decreased. He initiated a discussion on the agriculture ministry's performance in the Rajya Sabha, also accusing the BJP of neglecting the poor.

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Surjewala highlighted that when the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha raised issues concerning Dalits, farmers, and the working class, the BJP questioned their caste. He further claimed that despite the central government’s assertions of significantly increasing the agriculture sector's budget outlay, it failed to spend Rs 1 lakh crore over the past five years and surrendered this amount instead.

Budget Allocations and Subsidies

The Congress MP pointed out that the latest Union Budget has reduced allocations for various schemes related to agriculture, fertiliser, and dairy. He cited data showing a reduction in subsidies by about Rs 25,000 crore for urea and P&K fertilisers alone. Continuing his critique, Surjewala mentioned that between 2016-17 and June 30, 2024, farmers paid Rs 2,29,789 crore in premiums under PM Fasal Bima Yojna while insurance companies earned a profit of Rs 63,648 crore.

Surjewala described this scheme as highly profitable for insurance companies. He also criticised the Modi government for initially introducing three controversial farm laws, which were later revoked, and failing to procure crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP). He raised concerns about farmer suicides, noting that over one lakh farmers have committed suicide in the past decade. "In the Modi government's regime, every day 31 farmers commit suicide. How do you BJP manage to sleep?" he questioned.

Farmers' Income and MSP

John Brittas of CPI(M) also addressed the issue of increasing farmers' income. He recalled that in 2016, the Prime Minister promised to double farm income by 2022. In 2018, an inter-ministerial committee submitted a report on how to achieve this goal, but it was subsequently forgotten. "Nobody knows where is the report," he said.

CPI(M) member Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya stressed that ensuring MSP through statutory protection is essential for which farmers are fighting. He criticised awarding Bharat Ratna to MS Swaminathan while ignoring his recommendations as disrespectful to the renowned agriculture scientist. "Even today, the MSP in accordance with Dr Swaminathan's formula has not been followed," Bhattacharya stated.

Farmer Suicides and Crop Losses

NCP's Fauzia Khan highlighted that Maharashtra accounts for 37 per cent of all farmer suicides in India. Ram Gopal Yadav from Samajwadi Party noted that perishable vegetables worth Rs 60,000 crore are destroyed annually due to inadequate food processing and cold storage facilities, except for potatoes.

Several other MPs participated in the discussion including Subhash Barala, Kunwar Ratanjeet Pratap Narayan Singh, Pradip Kumar Verma from BJP; KR Suresh Reddy from BRS; Dola Sen from TMC; M Thambidurai from AIADMK; Beedha Masthan Rao Yadav from YSRCP; and Birendra Prasad Baishya from AGP.

The discussion saw contributions from various political parties highlighting different aspects of agricultural distress and policy failures. The debate underscored a collective call for better support systems for farmers across India.