Page 95 - Putting Farmers First

that have taken place outside the mandi. That is, the
farmer has not only received new alternatives; he has
also received legal protection from fraud and cheating.
This has the potential to transform the farming sector by
providing farmers with a choice – the government can
offer an option in tandem with the freedom of choice for
the farmers, ultimately transforming this country.

We must remember that the same people who are behind
opposing these reforms kept cheating the farmers for
decades.
For instance, while the MSP was declared, the actual
quantum purchased at MSP would be minimal. Large
loan waiver schemes would be announced for farmers; in
reality, however, its benefit never reached the small and
marginal farmers. Despite organizing grand schemes
for farmers, they themselves accepted that only 15
paise reached the farmer for every rupee spent. Farmers
were supposedly given subsidy on urea. However, more
fertilizer was sold in the black market than in the fields.
Promises were made to farmers only to be broken for
decades on a stretch.”

PM Modi at an event to inaugurate a project in Varanasi,
30 November, 2020