Prime Minister Narendra Modi today made a strong pro-farmer pitch by raking up the minimum support price (MSP) issue.
Addressing a gathering at Azamgarh in Eastern Uttar Pradesh (Purvanchal), Modi stressed that the priority of his government was to provide the right price to farmers for their farm produce.
“Today, compared to earlier times, manifold MSP is being given to farmers. This year, the remunerative prices for sugarcane farmers have also been hiked by 8 percent from Rs 315 to Rs 340 per quintal,” he added.
Underlining that Azamgarh is also a sugarcane belt constituent, the PM reminded that during earlier regimes, the UP cane farmers were made to beg for their payments, and sometimes denied altogether.
“Under the current BJP government, the sugarcane arrears running into thousands of crores have been settled. The cane farmers are now getting their dues on time,” he added.
Modi said the government has focussed on increasing the income of sugarcane farmers through ethanol for mixing with petrol and biogas production from farm stubble.
His comments assume significance in the backdrop of a section of farmers, especially from Punjab, protesting on the MSP issue.
He alleged sugar mills were shut and sold off at throwaway prices under the previous dispensations in UP.” Now, the mills are being revived and the destiny of sugarcane farmers is looking up.”
Meanwhile, Modi inaugurated and launched various development projects worth Rs 34,700 crore pertaining to Azamgarh as well as remotely to other parts of UP and other states including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
These projects included airport projects nationwide totalling almost Rs 10,000 crore.
“The airport projects will make air travel accessible to common people,” he said adding the commissioning of these projects should not be seen through the prism of impending elections but reckoned as a continuous development journey.
“My commitment is to make India a developed nation by 2047. As such, I am treading the same path and taking along the nation with me to realise that vision,” he added.
Modi flayed the opposition alliance for allegedly heaping uncharitable comments on him owing to his tirade against casteism, vote bank politics and nepotism.
“Azamgarh has in the past witnessed extremism and mafia rule. Now, it is witnessing the rule of law,” he said, adding the smaller cities of UP are benefitting from the extension of industrialisation and urbanisation.
The PM underscored that the metro rail services are also being launched in smaller towns for a parity with big metro cities.
Such rapid pace of development is possible only with honesty and integrity, and not a corruption ridden government like earlier regimes, he claimed.
Waxing eloquent on UP, Modi said the state is now identified with expressways, highways, good law and order, groundbreaking ceremony of industrial projects etc.
“UP leads the tally in implementing the central schemes and launching projects worth several lakhs of rupees,” he noted.
The PM castigated the opposition leaders for questioning his family status saying the 1.4 billion Indians were part of his family.
“My guarantee to UP is getting fulfilled and the culture of appeasement politics is getting sidelined,” he noted.
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath also addressed the public meeting.