Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Tuesday informed BJP Parliamentary party that the Government was determined to resist and block all the anti-Indian farmer moves by World Trade Organization (WTO) and other agencies.
Jaitley assured the BJP Parliamentary Party that the Government was committed to protect the interests of Indian farming Community and the people who live in below poverty line (BPl).
The BJP MPs were informed that the Government would prefer to go ahead with the Trade Facilitation principle only after categorical assurance on Public Stock Holding of Food Grains, procurement of food grains and Public Distribution System.
The Finance Minister told the meeting that the Modi Government was voicing the concerns regarding the Indian farmers’ issues at various international fora. “Our Government is determined to resist and block all the anti-Indian farmer moves by World Trade Organization (WTO) and other agencies”, he said. The USA and European countries are providing 400 billion subsidy every year to their farmers and insisting us to remove minimum support price (MSP) for our agricultural products.
“We have to support our farmers. Otherwise the farmers would face difficult situations”, he told the meeting.The meeting was attended by BJP veteran lal Krishna Advani, Jaitley, Home Minister S Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Party Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and others. The BJP Parliamentary Party unanimously passed a resolution congratulating the Prime Minister for his “historic trip to Nepal.” The Resolution was moved by Naidu and adopted by all the MPs. It lauded the Prime Minister’s stance-‘No Interference in Internal affairs of Nepal and only solicited Cooperation’.
Modi’s support to democratic republic constitution “has helped in removing several misgivings”, according BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Making an elaborate presentation on the WTO issue Minister of State, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitaraman said that India is committed to its pro-farmers stand despite heavy pressure from developed nations. Sitaraman said the WTO resolution at Bali Summit in 2013 was not a Perfect agreement as the core principles are not incorporated in it. She informed the BJP MPs that the several steps were initiated and sufficient allocations were made in the Budget by the Finance Minister to trade facilitation.
She informed that several countries have appreciated the stance taken by India. Making an elaborate presentation on the issue Minister of State, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitaraman said that India is committed to its pro-farmers stand “despite heavy pressure from developed nations.”