With nearly three months to go for the Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress on Wednesday promised to bring a new farmer-centric scheme which would include loan waivers, free electricity, among others, for farmers if it is voted to power in the State.
Kamal Nath, State Congress chief, said that the scheme will be called ‘Krishak Nyay Yojana’ (farmers’ justice scheme).
Outlining the various facets of the scheme, the former State Chief Minister to provide free electricity of up to 5 horsepower for irrigation use which would benefit 37 lakh farmers, farmers’ pending electricity bills will be waived off, 12 hours of uninterrupted power supply, the withdrawal of police cases filed against the farmers, who participated in protests during the Bharatiya Janata Party regime and the continuation of loan waiver scheme for the farmers.
The former Chief Minister accused the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government of harassing the farmers in the State. He said that Mr. Chouhan made a false announcement in front of the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) that the income of farmers in the State has more than doubled. But the truth it has dipped.”
“In December 2022, the parliamentary committee of the Modi government said that Madhya Pradesh is one of the four States in the country whose farmers’ income has decreased a lot. The income, which was ₹9,740 per month in 2015-16, has come down to ₹8,339 per month,” he claimed.
Talking about the promises under the scheme, he said that the farm loan waiver scheme announced in 2018 will be resumed and it has find place in the poll guarantees of the Congress party. In May, the BJP government had also launched farm loan interest waiver scheme that Mr. Chouhan claimed that it would benefit over 11 lakh farmers in the State.
Mr. Nath said the BJP government was only providing partial relief to the farmers. He also attacked present regime for frequent power cuts and interrupted power supply in the State, while also highlighting the plight of the farmers both on the input side and even in getting markets for their produce.
“When fertilizer is needed, the farmer does not get fertilizer, when seed is needed, seed is not available and when the crop is ripe and ready, it does not get the right minimum support price to sell it. On the other hand, the Shivraj government does not make any effort to increase the support price and sits silently,” he said.
With an estimated 170 of the 230 Assembly constituencies falling in the rural areas, where agriculture is the primary occupation, the party hopes to attract voters from this segment.
