Shivraj announces Rs 18 000 cr for 100 horticulture clusters to boost farm income

    New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday announced Rs 18,000 crore expenditure on setting up 100 export-oriented horticulture clusters in the next five years to boost farm income as he presented the Modi government's near-term roadmap for the farm sector.
     While admitting that there are shortcomings and more needs to be done for the agri sector, he attacked Congress for not doing anything in their long rule post-Independence.
     Replying to a discussion on work in his ministry in the Rajya Sabha, Chouhan also announced a Rs 6,800 crore oilseeds mission to reduce the import of cooking oils.
     The senior BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh continued his attack on the Congress from Friday and accused the Congress party of being anti-farmer and cited many incidents of farmers' deaths due to police firings under various Congress governments in states.
     The minister, who started his reply on Friday and spoke for one hour, concluded his speech on Monday.
     Congress leaders, including Digvijay Singh, who comes from the same state and was chief minister for 10 years, wanted to raise issues like demand for a legal guarantee on MSP and also alleged inaccuracies in the minister's statement. They also accused Chouhan of firings on farmers during his tenure as chief minister of MP.
     But, Singh and others were not allowed to speak, following which the Congress staged a walkout.
     During his around 30-minute speech, Chouhan hit back at Congress by reeling out data of firing incidents on farmers under Congress rule in states.
     On the one hand, the minister accused Congress of not giving priority to the agriculture sector, while on the other hand, he highlighted the steps taken by the Modi government in the last 10 years to boost farmers' income, including assistance of Rs 6,000 crore to farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme.
     He also outlined the roadmap for the next five years and said the government will set up 100 export-oriented horticulture clusters for Rs 18,000 crore.
     The minister said the government will soon launch an oilseeds mission with an outlay of Rs 6,800 crore to boost domestic output and reduce imports of cooking oils.
     Amendments will be made in pesticide management legislation while over 1,500 more mandis will be integrated with the e-NAM platform.
     "There are problems in agriculture, but there are solutions also. We will speak to farmers and farmers association,” he acknowledged.
     Chouhan sought Cooperation from the state governments, saying it was necessary for the welfare of farmers and said he would collectively work with the state governments irrespective of political parties to resolve the issues.
     "We will resolve it through dialogue and will move forward taking everyone along with us (hum samvad se samadhan ke taraf badhenge aur sabko sath le kar chalenge)," he assured.
     Chouhan informed that he has invited the agriculture ministers from all the states to discuss the problems faced by farmers. "We would work together with the state governments."
     He urged political parties not to treat farmers as vote banks but as humans.
     By 2047, as per the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India would not only produce sufficient nutritious food, vegetables and fruits but also emerge as a food basket of the world, Chouhan asserted.
     On Monday, after the Question Hour, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar called Chouhan to complete his reply.
     Immediately after this, opposition members created uproar over issues such as legal assurance of MSP and other demands.
     Dhankhar tried to pacify the house. He also threatened to name a member. In Rajya Sabha, if a member is named, he has to leave the house.
     Amid the opposition uproar, Chouhan began his reply and said the assistance of Rs 6,000 per year under PM-KISAN has helped small farmers to make them self-reliant, strong and empowered.
     "The Congress has of course always talked about helping farmers. But it has never done that. It was PM Narendra Modi who launched the PM-Kisan scheme," he said.
     Reacting to the allegations from the opposition of firing on farmers, Chouhan said their hands are stained with farmers' blood. He also alleged that during the tenure of Digvijay Singh, 24 farmers were killed in police firing.
     Singh along with other Congress members Randeep Singh Surjewala and Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh were leading the protest.
     "I have warned them not to poke me. If you do, I will not spare you,” said Chouhan. He took names of incidents of firing which happened during Congress rule in several states.
     The Opposition demanded the right to reply, which was rejected by the chairman Dhankhar. After this, the opposition walked out.
     Continuing his reply, Chauhan said he had read all speeches of former Prime Ministers given from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day and said farmers were never the priority for the Congress.
     Without naming the leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi, he said “a leader went to Sonipat during his yatra to meet farmers, and was found asking how to pose with them".
    Chouhan said farmers would be given a digital identity, similar to Aadhaar under the Digital Agriculture Mission. This Farmer ID will be linked with state land records.
    Crop details will be secured through mobile videography, and damage assessment will be done via remote sensing, ensuring accurate loss assessment, he added.
    The agriculture minister also placed a pen drive, having a video recording of the Sonepat visit, on which Dhankhar asked him to authenticate.
    After Chouhan's reply, Dhankhar informed the house that he had received a letter from Congress leader Digvijay Singh, seeking a right to reply under rule 238 (2), over the comments made by the Agriculture Minister about the loan waiver scheme in Madhya Pradesh during his tenure as Chief Minister. Another Congress member Randeep Singh Surjewala and AAP leader Sanjay Singh have also approached the Chairman.
     The Chairman rejected it, saying that there was no provision for a reply under rule 238 (2), following which an uproar was created in the house by the congress members.
     He said there is a mechanism available for reply for members if he thinks that a statement made by a minister is not correct in his assessment, but it has to be availed by them only.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)