In an attempt to jack up BJP’s pro-farmer image, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a number of ‘kisan rallies’ across the country. The first phase of the rallies will start this month covering Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka, where he would pinpoint the policies undertaken by his Government, including the improvised crop insurance scheme and neem coating of urea for soil health, for the well-being of the agriculturists.
The “kisan mahasammelan” in different States will counter the Congress’ propaganda against the Prime Minister, who is “branded” as “pro-industrialist” and “anti-farmer”. The Prime Minister’s initiative has come after he sounded his Cabinet colleagues as also party leaders to “effectively communicate” policies and programmes of his Government to the beneficiaries in the rural areas.
Asked why Maharashtra, particularly Vidarbha, which has witnessed an extremely high number of suicides, has not been included for such rallies, BJP general secretary Arun Singh said the farmers’ rallies would be held in many other regions in the country with the PM initially reaching out to farmers of four States.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Sichai Yojana, Neem coating of urea, and other “pro-farmer” initiatives would be the talking points of Modi’s rallies.
Modi would be inaugurating an oil refinery at Paradeep on February 7 and thereafter, visit religious city of Puri in Odhisa. The Prime Minister would visit Odisha again on February 21 to address a “massive farmers’ rally” at Bargarh in western Odisha, according to the BJP general secretary. (Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had led a ‘save farmers’ march in Bargarh district in September, and the BJD too did the same in November, last year).
The other farmers’ rallies planned, include one on February 18 in Madhya Pradesh, on February 27 in Karnataka and on February 28 in Uttar Pradesh — the venue for these are yet to be decided.
“More farmers’ rallies to be addressed by the Prime Minister across the country would be added to the list,” he said.
The Government has made it mandatory for domestic fertiliser firms to “neem coat” at least 75 per cent of their urea production, a move likely to save `6,500 crore subsidy outgo, retain health of soil, increase output and stop diversion of urea for industrial purposes.
The move is aimed at checking the excessive use of urea, which is deteriorating the soil health and adversely impacting overall yield.
This apart, the new farmer crop insurance scheme (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana) announced recently has been described by the BJP as the biggest incentive for the farmers of the country since the Independence. The party said, itwould secure their crop at “very low premium”, target at least 50 per cent farmers and include even the damaged farm produce in the storage.