Union finance minister Arun Jaitley did well to assure the nation that the government is well prepared to meet the requirements of farmers if rainfall is deficient. We have for the last one month been decrying the negativity being spread by the foreign brokerage houses and the media which only helps market speculators and hoarders.
Perhaps RBI governor Raghuram Rajan had joined the chorus in painting a dire picture on the inflation front if the government’s response was not adequate without acknowledging that he could cut interest rates because government measures had kept food inflation down.
It is hoped Mr Jaitley will create a body to see that schemes outlined by agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh are actually delivered efficiently. For instance, Mr Singh said the National Seeds Corporation has adequate drought-resistant short-duration seed varieties, along with fodder seeds. They obviously have no knowledge of the distress in the farms.
In Vidarbha, which sees the most farmer suicides, debt-ridden farmers are waiting for subsidies as they have no money to buy seeds. What is the mechanism for seed distribution to deserving farmers? Even Maharashtra CM D. Fadnavis has not fulfilled his promise of a Rs 4,000 subsidy for farmers owning less than two acres. Farmers’ groups have suggested that the government should bring the sowing of jowar and bajra under the NREGS to save small farmers labour costs and help them combat the vagaries of nature and the markets. Perhaps Mr Jaitley should look into this.
