Hooda to govt: Shun stubborn attitude, talk to farmers
Chandigarh: Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has once again urged the government to find a positive solution to the farmers' agitation. Hooda said farmers have been away from their homes and families for the last 11 months and have been sitting on dharnas at the Delhi border and other parts of the state.
"The demands of the farmers are completely justified and yet the government is not ready to change its adamant stand. The government should re-start the dialogue without delay, taking a step forward in the national interest and in the honor of those who feed the nation. In a democratic system, the people are paramount and every deadlock can be only be resolved through dialogue," the former Chief Minister said.
Leader of Opposition said farmers in the state are facing the brunt of apathy of the BJP-JJP government at every level. "Today, farmers are having to move from pillar to post DAP fertilizer. the Farmers are not getting enough fertilizer even after waiting in long queues for several days and hours, even under police protection. Sowing of the next crop season is getting delayed due to this," he said.
Hooda said the government is neither able to provide fertilizers to the farmers at the time of sowing nor is it giving MSP to the farmers at the time of sale. "A large number of farmers were deprived of MSP due to delay in procurement of paddy and non-lifting. On the other hand, the government refused to buy millet. The government wants to gradually get rid of MSP and the Bhavantar Bharpayee Yojana, which has been handed over to the millet farmers, has already proved to be a complete failure," he said.
"The farmer is being hit from all sides due to the callous attitude and apathy of the government and said the farmer also has to content with inflation, weather and the policies of the government. The farmer is suffering today," he said.
The former Chief Minister said every season adds a new chapter to the failure of the government's crop insurance scheme. "Farmers are facing the wrath of the weather for several consecutive seasons but no compensation is being given to them by the insurance companies and the government. In this kharif season, about 60,000 complaints of crop damage reached the government but the loss to the farmers is not being compensated. It is clear that the schemes of the government are limited only on paper and many schemes have been completely closed by the government," he said.
Talking about the Livestock Insurance Scheme, Hooda his government had started the scheme of insurance in nominal fees to motivate the farmers for livestock insurance, but now the government has left livestock farmers to the mercy of private companies.
"The government was charging just Rs 100 for livestock insurance but private companies are now charging Rs 3,000. Farmers should be given the benefit of government insurance as earlier besides they should also get compensation for the damage of crops under the crop insurance scheme by doing special girdawari as soon as possible," he demanded.
M Post Bureau
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