This is ‘Modi’s guarantee’, not just promise: PM takes veiled dig at Congress

New Delhi, July 1

The government is giving Rs 6.5 lakh crore to the agriculture sector every year with each farmer getting a benefit of Rs 50,000 annually in one form or the other, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday while asserting it’s “Modi’s guarantee” and not just a promise.

In what was seen as a veiled dig at the poll promises made by Congress and other opposition parties in recent times, Modi listed benefits provided to farmers mainly in form of fertiliser subsidy, foodgrains procurement and PM-KISAN and said: “This shows what a guarantee looks like and what massive efforts are needed to change the lives of farmers”.

“The government is making sure that every farmer in the country receives around Rs 50,000 every year in some way or the other. This means, under the BJP government at the Centre, there is a guarantee that every farmer gets Rs 50,000 in various forms,” he said while addressing the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress here.

“Ye Modi ki guarantee hai. Aur maine jo kiya hai, woh bata raha hoon, vaade nahi bata raha hoon (This is Modi’s guarantee. I am only talking about what I have done and not the promises),” the prime minister said.

“On an average, the government is spending more than Rs 6.5 lakh crore yearly on agriculture and farmers,” Modi said.

In the last nine years, Modi said the government has ensured supply of fertilisers at cheaper rates compared to other countries, bought large quantities of grains at minimum support price (MSP) and paid huge amount directly into bank accounts of farmers under PM-KISAN scheme, thus eliminating middlemen.

Elaborating, the prime minister said Rs 2.5 lakh crore have been transferred in the last four years directly into bank accounts of farmers under the PM KISAN scheme. Under PM-KISAN, farmers get Rs 6,000 annually.

“You can guess how big this amount is from the fact that the total agricultural budget for the five years before 2014 was less than Rs 90,000 crore,” Modi said.

The government has also ensured that the impact of rise in global prices of fertilisers does not affect farmers, he said and added that this ‘Modi guarantee’ has been provided by the BJP-ruled central government.

Modi further highlighted that farmers are getting a bag (45 kg) of urea at around Rs 270, which is much lower than Rs 720 in Bangladesh, Rs 800 in Pakistan, Rs 2,100 in China and more than Rs 3,000 in America.

The government has spent over Rs 10 lakh crore towards the fertiliser subsidy in the last nine years to ensure that farmers get crop nutrients at a reasonable price, he said, and quipped “isse badi guarantee kya hoti hai? (can there be bigger guarantee than this)? “

Stating that the Centre has been serious about ensuring remunerative price for farmers’ produce since 2014, Modi said the government has increased the MSP and also provided more than Rs 15 lakh crore to farmers in the last nine years through procurement of foodgrains at MSP.

He also informed about the recent package of Rs 3.7 lakh crore for the fertiliser sector as well as increase in fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane farmers at Rs 315 per quintal.

The prime minister also talked about the role of cooperatives in making India self-reliant and a developed country by 2047.

He asked cooperatives to become carriers of social and national policy instead of politics.

Modi stressed that cooperatives should become a model of transparency and corruption-free governance, and urged them to adopt digital tools in a big way.

He called upon cooperatives to work towards increasing production of oilseeds and pulses, and help the country become self-reliant in cooking oils.

Modi underlined that cooperatives have become a huge support system for small farmers in many parts of the country and hence the government has decided to strengthen the cooperative sector to achieve the goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

As a result, a separate ministry has been created with a separate budget allocation. Cooperatives are also being given a platform exactly like that of the corporate sector. Several measures have also been taken to strengthen cooperative societies and cooperative banks, including reduction in tax rates, he said.

Modi noted that through the Digital India campaign, the government has increased transparency and ensured benefits for the beneficiaries. “Today, the poorest of the poor believe that corruption and nepotism have been eliminated in the upper echelons.” He also stressed that the cooperative sector should become a “model of transparency and corruption-free governance” by promoting digital systems in the sector as this will increase transparency and efficiency in the market besides enabling better competition.

While more than 60,000 PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies) have been computerised, they now need to make full use of technology. They also need to contribute in exports and reduce import dependency in pulses and edible oils, he added.

Stating that food security should not be limited to self-sufficiency in wheat, rice and sugar, Modi said India spends roughly Rs 2-2.5 lakh crore on import of edible oil, pulses, fish feed and processed food, etc. Cooperatives can contribute in making India self-reliant in these commodities.

The government has focused on reducing cane-arrears by promoting ethanol in the sugar sector. Ethanol worth Rs 70,000 crore was purchased from sugar mills in the last nine years, he said, adding that sugar mills were also given a package of Rs 20,000 crore for clearing farmers’ dues.

Modi exuded confidence that cooperatives will become a powerful medium of the country’s economic source in the new India. He emphasised the need to build villages that will become self-sufficient by following the cooperative model.