Apex court has emphasised the need to revisit the National Policy for Farmers, 2007, to ensure a farmer suicide-free India
M. S. Swaminathan.
Chennai: Eminent agricultural scientist and father of green revolution M.S. Swaminathan has endorsed Supreme Court directive to Union government to revisit the National Policy for Farmers, 2007, within six weeks.
The apex court, while hearing a PIL filed by Punjab-based NGO on farmer suicides, has emphasised the need to revisit the National Policy for Farmers, 2007, to ensure a farmer suicide-free India.
Swaminathan, in a release on Monday, said eight years had passed since the policy based on the report of the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) chaired by him was approved, but yet to be implemented.
The document contained detailed suggestions on its operationalisation, including the setting-up of an Agricultural Coordination Committee under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, Swaminathan clarified on reports in a section of media quoting SC observations saying, “court had misgivings about the efficacy of the annual meetings of the committee headed by the eminent agricultural scientist Swaminathan that goes into the issues relating to the farmers and felt that these meetings, instead of being once a year affair, should take place more frequently”.
He said he was NCF chairman from 2004 to 2006. Thereafter, he was not part of any committee of the agriculture ministry since submission of the report in 2006.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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