No plan to reintroduce three repealed farm laws in future: Agriculture Minister in Rajya Sabha
New Delhi(PTI): Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday said in the Rajya Sabha that the government has no plan to reintroduce the three repealed farm laws in future.
Asked whether the government has any plan of reintroducing the three repealed farm laws in future, the minister said: "No Sir".
Replying to a written question, he said "the subject of compensation etc. to the families of the deceased farmers in the farmers movement is with the concerned state government."
On November 19 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation announced the withdrawal of the three farm laws, saying the government could not convince protesting farmers about the benefits of the agriculture sector reforms.
The three laws that were repealed are: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act; Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.
In reply to a separate query on PM-KISAN scheme, Tomar said: "As on February 8, 2022, more than 11.78 crore beneficiaries have been given the financial benefits of approximately Rs 1.82 lakh crore under the scheme through various installments."
"Out of them, 48.04 lakh were found to be ineligible. Therefore, effectively, there are approximately 11.30 crore eligible beneficiaries under the scheme," he added.
He highlighted that during 2019-20, the value of India's agri-exports of principal agri commodities group was Rs 2,52,297 crore which was 1.2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current prices.
"Despite Covid-19 pandemic, there has been 22.8 per cent growth in agri exports at Rs 3,09,939 crore with a share of 1.6 per cent to GDP during 2020-21," he added.
At present, there is no such proposal to provide additional income support under PM-KISAN scheme.
Under the scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is provided to the eligible beneficiary farmer families, payable in three equal 4-monthly instalments of Rs 2,000 each. The fund is transferred directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
