Price fall in global market causing farm crisis across country: Gadkari

Nagpur: With the nationwide strike launched by disgruntled farmers demanding loan waiver, higher prices for produce and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendation on minimum support prices, Union minister Nitin Gadkari tried to veer off the course of agitation to a different route, calling global factors behind farmers’ pathetic conditions. He said the prices of several commodities have crashed in the global market, causing drastic fall in export, oversupply in the country and fall in prices in the domestic market.
The minister urged the farmers not to lose heart as the government was devising solutions. “We have allowed production of ethanol from molasses. Soon we will permit it to be made from cotton stalks and other agricultural produce. Farmers will get extra income and their lot will improve,” he said at a press conference organized on completion of four years of the NDA government at the Centre.

On Clean Ganga project, Gadkari said work on several treatment plants had already started and tenders for others had been floated. “You will see tangible results next year,” he said.

The minister further said that he had ordered the river development ministry to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for water transport in Godavari river. “Once the project is commissioned, Nanded will become a river port and cotton from Marathwada and Vidarbha will be exported from there,” Gadkari said.

Turning to local issues, the Union minister said that the DPR of integrated multi-modal hub on Central Jail land was ready. “Divisional commissioner Anup Kumar has held several meetings of officials of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Central Railway and other agencies. Central Railway has sought relocation of essential facilities in the 75 acre land in Ajni Railway Colony to be acquired for the project. The project consultant has been asked to hold meetings with railway officials and sort out the issue. The tender process will start in six weeks,” he said.

Earlier, Gadkari recounted the achievements of his government. “Before we came to power, there were only 3 crore bank accounts in the country. Now due to Jan Dhan Yojana, the number has increased to 31.52 crore. Between 2014 and 2017, 55% of new bank accounts in the world were opened in India,” he said.

Gadkari further said that there were 6 crore toilets in the country before 2014. In the last four years 7.25 crore toilets were constructed by the Narendra Modi government. “Under Ujjwala Yojana, we provided 3.8 crore LPG connections to poor families. Our target is 8 crore,” he said.

The minister also narrated the achievements of his government in power, sports, healthcare, education and other sectors.

‘Oppn unity won’t last till 2019’

Gadkari said that the unity of Opposition parties won’t last till 2019 general elections. “When it comes to seat sharing, the alliance will split apart,” he said.

He charged that Opposition parties had won the recent bypolls through communal and casteist politics. “A fear psychosis was created among Muslims and Dalits that BJP is working against their interests. Rumours were spread that we wanted to revise the Indian Constitution drafted by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar,” he said, adding that other parties were finding it difficult to challenge BJP’s politics of development.