Gehlot announces more sops for peasants in Raj

Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday announced a second round of sops for farmers amid the Congress' hopes to preserve its winning streak in the 2019 general elections.

Gehlot promised that his government would not increase power tariff for agriculture purposes for the next five years and provide one lakh power connections by the next June, virtually setting the party's poll campaign tone for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

In an apparent bid to wean away peasants' votes, he said the state government would also set up a network of food processing units on agriculture land in villages without

having the need to change land usage for plots up to 10 hectares.

He also promised state's help in procuring loans for setting up such units.

The government is also working on a proposal to give pension to small and marginal farmers, he added, hoping to wrest the remaining 23 Lok Sabha seats from the BJP in the state.