Dakshina Kannada Member of Parliament Nalin Kumar Kateel reiterated here on Friday that the new farm laws of the Union government are aimed at freeing farmers from the clutches of middlemen.
Speaking at the Kisan Samman Day and birth anniversary celebrations of the former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Mr. Kateel said that the farm laws allowed farmers to sell their produces at competitive rates as per their will. Vajpayee was the first to introduce Kisan Cards in the country, he said and added that Vajpayee knew about the issues concerning farmers very well.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi too is following in the footsteps of Vajpayee to help farmers by introducing crop insurance scheme, soil health cards, setting up an independent Ministry for fisheries and taking steps to ensure that farmers did not face the shortage of fertilizers. Neem-coated urea was introduced in the country to overcome the shortage of fertilizers, he said.
He said that the late former Prime Minister [Vajpayee] thought about the development of India as a whole and upheld its prestige globally.
Going a step ahead, Mr. Modi introduced a scheme for directly transferring ₹ 6,000, in three instalments, annually to the accounts of farmers, he said. Mr. Kateel said that Vajpayee had added Jai Vignan to the popular slogan Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, to instil scientific temper among people and to promote science for the development of the country.
Minister in-charge of Dakshina Kannada and Minister for Ports, Fisheries, In-land Water Transport and Muzrai Kota Srinivasa Poojary said that with the new farm laws in place, farmers have got control over their produces without the need to succumb to pressures from middlemen. He said that Vajpayee who had been elected to the Lok Sabha nine times and to the Rajya Sabha twice remained an unparalleled leader.
