Budget 2019 and scepticism in the countryside
Since the grandiose announcement in 2016 of doubling farmers’ incomes, the real incomes of farmers have fallen. What can the budget offer in 2019?
Since the grandiose announcement in 2016 of doubling farmers’ incomes, the real incomes of farmers have fallen. What can the budget offer in 2019?
Budgets and even ballots are seemingly irrelevant after the GST roll out and the government allowing non-state actors to influence the narrative even as the farm sector sinks into an abyss
Loud propaganda or slogans do not change livelihoods. “We need right policies and follow-up action to help farmers come out of the current farm crisis,” says Ajay Vir Jakhar, Chairman of the Punjab Farmer Commission and Chairman of the New Delhi-based NGO, Bharat Krishak Samaj. Excerpts:
While there is no doubt that there has been an increase in farm output in the last two years on account of favourable monsoon, how come the farm-ers did not really benefit?
The crisis engulfing farmers was created by negligence and bad policy. The resultant migration to urban India has devastating socio-economic consequences.
Frustration on the farms has reached an inflexion point and all of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promises could actually go against him.
Despite the reigning chaos, social parameters, health and education indi-ces of Bangladesh are far better than those in India.
Evaluating the consequences of the centre’s agriculture policy is as im-portant as keeping the Prime Minister informed when things are going wrong.
The MSP hike is unlikely to stem the rural unrest that is gnawing into the ruling alliance’s vote-bank.
The farming infrastructure in Punjab lay in a shambles and the Punjab State Agriculture Commission considered all stakeholder opinions to prepare a policy document, which could be implemented.
Meticulous planning is needed to address the crop residue burning but policy-makers neither understand the cause not the redressal mechanism.