Call for fair deal to farmers

The launch of the sixth instalment of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came in for criticism from the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) during its nationwide agitation demanding fair deal to farmers on Sunday.

The scheme had already gone through five instalments and there was no need for the PM to make a show of the sixth instalment of ₹2,000. Ignoring the losses made by farmers and agricultural workers during lockdown and making a show of transferring ₹2,000, which they were already entitled to, was a big insult to farmers, the protestors said.

Farmers under the banner of AIKSCC staged protests in hundreds of villages of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

The protests were marked by burning of copies of three agricultural ordinances and Electricity Amendment Bill. The ordinances were meant to open doors for domination of Indian agriculture by agri-business corporates

While they are framed as if they will give more freedom to farmers, in reality, small and marginal farmers will be dominated by big companies. Hence, the slogan “corporate bhagao, kisan bachao”, a release said.

The agriculture infrastructure fund, which Mr. Modi announced on Sunday, was also an eyewash because it did not promise any grants or new budget allocation but a new loan of ₹10,000 crore at a time when farmers were demanding “freedom from indebtedness” through a Farmers Debt Relief Commission.

Participants included AIKSCC national working group members Kiran Kumar Vissa and Vemulapalli Venkatramaiah and State convenors Pasya Padma, T. Sagar, Achyutha Rama Rao.