PM Modi will speak with farmers on December 25
The next tranche of the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme will be released on December 25 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Agriculture Ministry said. On the said date, a payment of Rs. 18,000 crore will be released, helping nearly 80 million farmers. PM Modi will also speak with some farmers, albeit virtually, about the new farm laws that have triggered a massive protest.
Launched in February 2019, the PM-Kisan scheme is meant to provide monetary support to small and marginal farmers. Under this scheme, the government annually transfers Rs. 6,000 into the registered bank accounts of farmers. However, the money is not released at once but given in three installments of Rs. 2,000 each, every four months. PM Modi had released the first tranche last year.
Now, the outreach program planned by the Centre, led by Bharatiya Janata Party, comes at a time when thousands of farmers are upset with the new laws, passed during the Monsoon Session. The farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, don't agree with the government's assertions that the laws - that allow them to sell produce anywhere they want to - will swell their income.
An official in the know told HT that PM Modi is likely to talk about the new laws and shed light on its benefits. "It will be a freewheeling conversation," the person claimed. He would also seek inputs from farmers regarding their expectations ahead of the financial budget. PM Modi is aiming to receive "feedback on the ground realities" through this session.
Evidently, the government is trying hard to convince farmers that the laws will be beneficial for them. As a part of these efforts, PM Modi also spoke to some farmers in Madhya Pradesh last week, reminding them how previous governments didn't focus on the agriculture sector. He also said the laws were not passed overnight, without any deliberation. However, despite these steps, farmers are furious.
To note, the protest at the Singhu border, near Delhi, entered its 27th day today. In pictures, that emerged on social media, farmers were seen providing themselves comfort from the chilly winter by lighting a bonfire. Today, farmers' leaders will also hold a meeting to discuss the Centre's latest proposal. Earlier, the government said it is ready for talks on any date farmers choose.
Kulwant Singh Sandhu, the General Secretary of Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, one of the outfits steering the protest, slammed the Centre's latest letter. "They have just given a five-page letter describing what happened in earlier meetings. This is time-pass tactics," he told Indian Express. And Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasanghm's National President Shiv Kumar Kakka predicted that the government is not serious about holding talks.
"The letter indicates that the government does not want to call a meeting. The government is not serious about holding the next round of talks, otherwise, it could have specified the time and venue as it had done on earlier occasions," said Kakka.
Separately, Baldev Singh Nihalgarh, the General Secretary of Kul Hind Kisan Sabha (Punjab), said the letter was "nothing but the insult of farmers and their protest in the severe cold." To recall, the Centre and farmers have held five rounds of talks — all of them failed to end the deadlock. The Supreme Court said last week it could form an independent committee to resolve the matter.
