Congress to launch farmers movement in Uttar Pradesh

The programme aims to reach out to 1.5 crore farmers across the state

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The Congress's Uttar Pradesh unit has announced its plans to reach out to 1.5 crore farmers and ensure that they get their dues. 

Announcing this on Monday, the Congress state president Ajay Kumar Lallu said, “Since the formation of the Modi and then the Yogi government, the contribution of agriculture to the national income has consistently fallen. Compared to 2014-15, the contribution of agriculture to national income has come down from 4.7 per cent to 1.6 per cent.” 

He further added that the government seemed to have forgotten that a happy farmer was the key to a happy nation. 

The Congress programme aims to reach out to 1.5 crore farmers across the state to address their problems including those of stray cattle, procurement of wheat, sugarcane dues, the cases lodged on farmers for stubble burning, writing off of loans, increased electricity prices and the problems of potato farmers.

The movement will be in the form of 15,000 nukkad nataks (street plays) which will raise awareness of issues and mobilise farmers to demand their dues. 

Lallu said that the present government had spoken about taking back all farming loans within 14 days of coming to power but even two-and-a-half years later, nothing seemed to have done in this direction. 

“One season of sugarcane crushing is over and dues remain unpaid even as another season has come to an end”, Lallu added. “The government has continued to enhance input costs while not paying suitable dues. This is reflective of the anti-farmer policies of this government”. 

The Congress demand, the state chief said, was to decrease input prices which had doubled in the last six years. This necessitated bringing down prices of fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, irrigation, diesel and electricity. The challenge of stray cattle destroying farms and the impact of natural disasters would also have to be tackled. “In the name of crop insurance, the government is only benefiting insurance companies. These companies take from Rs 630 to Rs 750 from a farmer every six months, yet it only pays when the farmer is able to establish 75 per cent crop loss which in most cases he is not able to. The farmer insurance scheme is in fact a loot scheme,” Lallu said.