Purnendu Basu meets Niti Aayog members, dismisses land lease law

The Bengal government has opposed the Centre’s decision to impose land lease law during a meeting with members of Niti Aayog held in Nabanna on Wednesday afternoon.

In a bid to introduce agricultural reforms in the country, members of the Niti Aayog are visiting different states and speaking to agriculture ministers in the respective states.

On Wednesday, the members held a discussion with Bengal Agriculture minister Purnendu Basu.

Sources said that Basu cleared the stand of the Bengal government on the issue of the land lease law. He told the Niti Aayog members that it would not be right to introduce the law here.

It is learnt that the state government is opposing the land lease law as it is being framed keeping open market economy in mind. Now, the attempt is to make all the states implement the same.

Sources said the members of the Niti Aayog have the notion that economic growth in the agriculture sector in North-Eastern and Eastern parts of the country is poor.

However, the state agriculture minister explained to them that the situation is contrary to their belief, pointing out Bengal’s achievements in the agriculture sector.

Basu provided them with data containing encouraging figures, including per capita income of the people involved in agriculture in Bengal. The data on cultivation of rice and pulses was also presented to them.

The Niti Aayog members did not requisite data on the development activities in the state’s agriculture sector.

Sources said that to make the members understand the transformation that has taken place in the state’s agriculture sector, Basu pointed out that Bengal has won the Krishi Karma Award – which is given by the Centre – in the last four years.

The state government also urged the members to ensure that co-operative banks in the state get 

sufficient funds as they are the backbone of the agriculture sector in several states.