Samarthan mulya: Swaminathan banaam jumlanathan Na paryapt khareedi na uchit daam, na kanooni guarantee ka intezaam

• Abhay Dubey

In the last ten years, the anti-farmer face of the Modi government has been exposed again and again and by making anti-farmer policies and repeatedly adopting an inhuman attitude against farmers, this government has itself exposed its dark truth. During the general elections of 2014, 2019 and 2024, Modi ji made many big election promises regarding agriculture and farmers, but far from giving relief to the farmers, the BJP government did the opposite of its promise.The Modi government has made the condition of farmers miserable. They have taken many anti-farmer steps due to which farmers are suffering huge losses. They are not even getting the minimum support price for their crops. Let us take a look at the difference between the words and actions of the Modi government: Anti-farmer Narendra Modi: It is said that a child's future can be seen in his childhood. As soon as Modi government came to power, one after another anti-farmer decisions proved this saying true - 'Narendra Modi is anti-farmer'. 1) Attack on farmers with major decisions: 1. As soon as he came to power, in June 2014, the bonus of Rs. 150 given to farmers over the support price was stopped. 2. From December 2014, three ordinances were brought one after the other to abolish the law of fair compensation for farmers' land. 3. On February 6, 2015, an affidavit was given in the Supreme Court that the farmers cannot be given more than the support price 50%, otherwise the market will be ruined. That is, Jumlanathan rejected Swaminathan's recommendations. 4. On 28 February 2016, in a rally in Bareilly, Modi ji said that the income of farmers will be doubled by 2022. But the NSSO said that the average income of farmers has become 27 rupees per day and the average debt per farmer has become 74 thousand rupees. 5. In February 2016, the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme was started in Sehore, Madhya Pradesh and it was said that it is the best insurance scheme in the world. In this scheme, private companies earned a profit of 64 thousand crores from 2016 to June 2024. 6. In the disaster of Covid, in June 2020, cruel anti-agriculture black laws were brought in the form of ordinances. It was learned from the media report that the draft of these laws was suggested to the NITI Aayog by an American industrialist of Indian origin. 7. Modi government has increased the cost of farming by Rs. 25,000 per hectare in the last 10 years. Diesel prices were increased tremendously, GST of 12 to 18 percent was imposed on fertilizers, agricultural equipment, tractors and tractor parts. 2) Shocking revelation: In the 69th report of the Standing Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, it was revealed that since 2017, the Ministry of Agriculture has been continuously telling the Modi government that GST should be reduced or removed on machines used in farming, agricultural equipment, tractors, power tillers, harvesters etc. But the Modi government has not listened to this advice till date. 3) Truth of Modi Government's support price for Rabi season 2025-26:

Modi government recently announced the support price of crops for Rabi season 2025-26. Compared to the previous year, this increase is only 2.4 to 7 percent. The difference between Swaminathan's support price and Jumalanathan's support price is clearly visible in the chart given below.

Amount Amount in Rs. per quintal Jumlanathan MSP 2025-26 Swaminathan MSP 2025-26 (C2+50) Wheat 2425 (6.6 percent) 2580 Barley 1980 (7-0 percent) 2605 Chickpea 5650 (3-9 percent) 6993 Lentil 6700 (4-3 percent) 7591-5 Mustard 5950 (5-3 percent) 6441 Safflower (kusum) 5940 (2-4 percent) 8325

The percentages given in brackets represent the increase over the previous (2024-25) Rabi crops support price announced.

4) State governments also considered the support price as a drop in the ocean: For wheat, Maharashtra said that the cost in its state is Rs. 3,527 per quintal and it should be given a support price of Rs. 4,461 per quintal. Similarly, Maharashtra is the second largest state in the country in terms of gram production. Swaminathan said that the cost of gram is Rs. 5,402 per quintal and it should be given a support price of Rs. 7,119 per quintal. But the Modi government rejected the demands of almost all the states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand.

Wheat Maharashtra demands MSP of Rs.4,461per quintal for 2025-26 Jharkhand demands MSP of Rs. 2,855 per quintal for 2025-26 Gujarat demands MSP of Rs. 4,050 per quintal for 2025-26 Chickpea Maharashtra demands MSP of Rs. 7,119 per quintal for 2025-26 Andhra Pradesh demands MSP of Rs. 8,341 per quintal for 2025-26 Gujarat demands MSP of Rs. 7,050 per quintal for 2025-26 Lentil Bihar demands MSP of Rs. 7,298 per quintal for 2025-26 Madhya Pradesh demands MSP of Rs. 6,825 per quintal for 2025-26 Mustard Bihar demands MSP of Rs. 7,298 per quintal for 2025-26 Assam demands MSP of Rs. 6,215 per quintal for 2025-26

5) The truth about Modi government's decision to buy Rabi crop in 2023-24 at support price:

amount Production (in lakh tonnes) Crop procurement at MSP (in lakh tonnes) Percentage of crop procurement at MSP compared to total production wheat 1129-25 262-02 23-20 percent barley 16-53 00 00 percent chickpea 115-76 0-43 0-37 percent lentil 17-54 2-47 14-08 percent mustard 131-61 12-09 9-19 percent safflower 0-51 00 00 percent

6) PM Crop Insurance Scheme vs Private Insurance Company Profit Scheme:

From the year 2016-17 to 30 June 2024, the total premium of Pradhan Mantri Crop Insurance Scheme was paid by farmers, central and state governments together was Rs. 2,29,789 crore and insurance companies earned a profit of Rs. 63,648 crore. That is, private insurance companies earn a profit of about Rs. 64,000 crore and the Modi government calls it the best crop insurance scheme in the world.

Year Gross Premium (in crores) Claims paid (in crores) Profit of Insurance Companies (in crores) 2016‒17 21,698 16,808 4,890 2017‒18 24,601 22,149 2,452 2018‒19 29,079 28,254 825 2019‒20 32,287 28,150 4,137 2020‒21 31,670 21,424 10,246 2021‒22 30,046 20,862 9,184 2022‒23 31,114 18,356 12,758 2023‒24 29,294 10,138 19,156

7) Betrayal of surrendered budget - shock to schemes: The Modi government had kept 4.41 percent of the total central budget for agriculture budget in the year 2020-21, which was reduced to only 2.74 percent in 2024-25. Not only this, it was revealed in the Parliamentary Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare that Rs. 21,043.85 crore in 2018-19, Rs. 34,518 crore in 2019-20, Rs. 23,825 crore in 2020-21, Rs. 429 crore in 2021-22 and Rs. 19,762 crore in 2022-23, which were provisioned in the budget, were not spent, but were surrendered. That is, approximately Rs. 1 lakh crore was surrendered in five years.

8) PM Kusum Yojana also proved to be a Jumla:

The BJP government sowed thorns in the name of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam UtthanMahabhiyan Yojana i.e. Kusum Yojana. In the year 2019, the Modi government started the PM Kusum Yojana to install 10,000 MW of renewable energy. Till June 30, 2024, only 256.78 MW i.e. 2.5 percent renewable energy work has been done. Apart from this, electric tube wells of 10 lakh farmers will also be converted into solar tube wells. From 2019 to June 30, 2024, only 2,644 agricultural pumps were installed. Out of 17.5 lakh, only 3,97,437 standalone solar pumps were installed. 9) Did not pay the price - got the punishment of suicide: Every day 31 farmers are being forced to commit suicide under the Modi government. From 2014 to 2022, more than 01 lakh farmers have been forced to commit suicide.

year 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Total farmers 12360 12602 11379 10655 10349 10281 10677 10881 11265 100449 Agricul-tural laborer 6710 4595 5109 4700 4586 4324 5098 5563 6068 46753

It is clear from the above facts that the Modi government is an anti-farmer government. When farmers demand the price of their crops, nails and thorns are laid in their way, they are trampled by jeeps, they are forced to commit suicide. But they do not get the right price for their crops. The Congress Party is committed to fight for the legal guarantee of the support price of farmers from the streets to the Parliament and will ensure that the farmers get their rights. 10) Special: Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are the two largest soybean producing states. The cost price of soybean was fixed by the Central Government at Rs. 3,261 and the support price at Rs. 4,892 per quintal. Today soybean is being sold in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh for less than Rs. 4,000 per quintal. The irony is that Maharashtra had stated the production cost of soybean as Rs. 6,039 per quintal and Madhya Pradesh had stated the cost and price as Rs. 4,455 per quintal to the Swaminathan Commission. Today the support price of soybean in Maharashtra is less than the cost price.

(The author is media coordinator in AICC)