The Gujarat government led by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is resolved to address rural distress as its top priority task before the Lok Sabha polls. The chief minister, in a cabinet meeting that was held on last Wednesday, told his officials that meeting the demands of rural voters will please them.
The government has set its agenda to overcome resentment in rural voters step by step. The government will first take up the task of distributing relief in scarcity-hit zones. It will then make payments to groundnut farmers; provide crop insurance and other pending dues. The state will then concentrate on water crisis that may aggravate after the first half of March.
A senior official in the government, on the condition of anonymity, said, "It is necessary for the BJP-led state to meet the agrarian crisis way before the Lok Sabha polls so that people do not feel that the government took up the task to appease them. The government will announce another scheme for rural co-operative banks over one-time settlement against non-performing assets (NPA)."
"These are the banks which are governed by societies of farmers and will be able to dispatch more loans to farmers, if their liabilities are waived off. The government will waive their simple interests on their dues with nationalised banks offering them subsidies," the official further added.
State Cabinet minister Jayesh Radadiya said, "We have purchased groundnuts from farmers at minimum support price and their payments are underway. The CM has directed us to expedite the process of clearing payments. We have also been asked to ensure that no complaints with regard to irregularity or pendency reach the state. We have been given instructions over crop insurance and work related to relief."
The Gujarat BJP organisation also is simultaneously gears up preparations for the Lok Sabha polls. The newly appointed in charge of party for the polls, Om Prakash Mathur is also going to visit state very soon. He will move across the state to restrategise the plan to meet rural distress. The party had faced a great loss in rural areas during the assembly polls held in December 2017. The party leaders are to meet in Gandhinagar to regain the seats in rural Gujarat.