Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Shashi Tharoor, who had earlier supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to extend the lockdown, on Wednesday pointed out that farmers in the country are facing a lot of hardships owing to the "unplanned lockdown."
Noting that farmers were unable to sell their last harvest he said the government's relief package offers them nothing. "The condition of our farmers is worsening thanks to the unplanned #lockdown & completely broken supply chain. Last harvest didn't yield good monetary value since farmers unable to sell. They are heavily in debt & Govt's package provides them nothing. They need help," the Congress leader said in a tweet.
Further, he pointed out that middlemen are profiting at the expense of farmers and called for elimination of "parasitical middlemen" while requesting the Food Corporation of India to purchase directly from farmers. "Middlemen are profiting at the expense of our sweat-stained farmers. Why should they buy the farm products & exploit both growers&consumers? @FCI_India should purchase direct from farmers: will give the aam aadmi cheaper food if parasitical middlemen are eliminated!"
Middlemen are profiting at the expense of our sweat-stained farmers. Why should they buy the farm products & exploit both growers&consumers? @FCI_India should purchase direct from farmers: will give the aam aadmi cheaper food if parasitical middlemen are eliminated! #किसान_के_बोल
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 10, 2020
The government, while announcing the Rs 20 lakh crore economic relief package, also announced the decision to amend the Essential Commodities Act and reducing farmers’ dependence on the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC). Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said with an amendment to the Essential Commodities Act, agriculture food stuffs including cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potato will be deregulated.
Earlier, welcoming the third phase of the lockdown, Tharoor had tweeted: "I support Modi's announcement on the lockdown extension. Can't discard the gains being made. But he should have also announced serious relief for those who cannot make the ends meet. MGNREGA payments, Jan Dhan accounts, GST dues to states, and aid to sweeten the pill."
