Report by Sakshi Suman:
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Rajya Sabha amidst the farmers’ protest against agricultural law. PM assured the farmers through the upper house that the Minimum Support Price(MSP) will continue. He said “There was MSP, there is MSP and there will be MSP”.
PM said that the mandis are being strengthened and will be modernized on a large scale across the country. PM made a special request to the farmers to end the agitation. He said that the elders are sitting on the road in this cold in the movement, they should go home, end the movement and keep the discussion moving forward. In his address PM surrounded the opposition fiercely, PM said to the opposition that let the abuses go to my account but let the reforms take place. PM Modi read the statement of former Prime Minister Manmohan’s Singh in the House, “our thinking is that what is hindered in bringing big market, we try to allow the farmers to sell the produce”. PM said that what Manmohan Singh said, Modi has to do, please be proud.
The government is continuously working for the small farmers. The number of farmers who have little land is increasing rapidly. He said after 2014 the scope of crop assurance scheme was extended. In the last five years 90 thousand crores had been given as claims under this scheme. The government has already talked to the farmers many times before, although the talks have stopped. But now after Prime Ministers’ address, hope is raised once again.