New Delhi, Feb 4(UNI) BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said that the Centre is committed to the farmers' welfare and has introduced the three agricultural reforms to emancipate the cultivators from the 70-year-old shackles.
Speaking in the discussion on the 'Motion of Thanks' to the President's address, Mr Scindia said the Government has kept all channels of communication open with the farmers and held eleven rounds of talks with their organisations till now.
The laws permits the farmers to sell their produce anywhere, at any price they want, he said, adding that the government has also offered to defer the laws' implementation by 18 months.
Farmers are the backbone of the country's economy and they are the ones who feed the entire world. The Congress, in its manifesto, had promised to reform agriculture. The then Agriculture Minister had also written a letter to the Chief Minister in this regard. Now the Congress should stick to its stance, he said.
The government is procuring paddy, wheat, pulses and cotton at the minimum support price. It also launched the 'Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana' to provide financial help to farmers. The Minimum Support Price of crops has been increased to one-and-a-half times the cost.
On the Republic Day violence in the National Capital, the BJP leader said as many as 394 policemen and journalists were injured while a farmer lost his life.
Criticising the Opposition for boycotting the President's Address, he said that it is akin to disrespecting democracy.
Hailing the Narendra Modi government for the handling the Corona pandemic efficiently, he said that the Centre dealt with this crisis on a war-footing.
While the opposition raised questions on the imposition of lockdown, its unlocking and the Corona vaccine, the party's Deputy Leader Anand Sharma praised the government's efforts in a committee report.
To improve the public health system, the government has increased the budget of the Health Department by 137 per cent compared to last year, he said.
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