Welcoming the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposal to hold a direct dialogue on Wednesday with the farmers across the country, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday expressed hope that it would lead to the announcement of key initiatives for the welfare of the farming community, including waiver of their debts and in toto implementation of the Swaminathan Committee report.
Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to use the forum for initiating the much-needed reforms in the beleaguered agriculture sector, which was crying for assistance from the Central Government.
Reiterating his demand for a national debt waiver scheme for farmers, as well as the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report in totality, Capt Amarinder said that the farmers were in dire need for the Prime Minister’s intervention on these two counts in order to save the nation from an agricultural disaster.
Given the extreme agrarian crisis prevailing in the country, which was witnessing suicides by distressed farmers across states, Modi should seize this opportunity to announce major relief measures for the farming community, said Capt Amarinder, adding that if the Prime Minister was serious about realizing his vision of doubling farm income by 2022, he should waste no further time in announcing total implementation of Swaminathan Committee report.
“A one-time debt waiver is also essential to bring the beleaguered farmers out of the current crisis and put them back on the path of prosperity,” he said.