New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday called for consideration of a private member’s Bill envisaging protective measures for farmers in arid, desert and drought-prone areas even as several states continue to grapple with severe drought conditions. He also recommended a welfare fund with an initial corpus of Rs 10,000 crore.
The Farmers of Arid and Desert Areas (Welfare and Other Special Provisions) Bill, 2014 was introduced by senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha in December 2014. The Bill envisages expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India. According to the financial memorandum of the Bill, Rs 20,000 crore may be involved as recurring expenditure per annum.
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Under the rules, if a Bill involves expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India, it cannot be passed by Parliament unless the President has recommended its consideration to that House.
In a letter to the Rajya Sabha secretary-general a few days ago, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh had stated that the President, having been informed about the Bill, had recommended its consideration by the Rajya Sabha under Article 117(3) of the Constitution.
Bill to protect farmers on anvil
The Upper House has listed the Farmers of Arid and Desert Areas (Welfare and Other Special Provisions) Bill, 2014, introduced by senior Congress member Ahmad Patel in the Rajya Sabha, for consideration.
It seeks to provide for the establishment of a welfare fund for farmers in arid and desert areas with an initial corpus of Rs 10,000 crore to be provided by the Central government.
Clause 6 of the Bill makes it mandatory for the Central government to provide requisite funds to the states concerned while Clause 5 provides for certain welfare measures to be undertaken by appropriate governments.
In the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill, Mr Patel has noted that Gujarat, in particular Saurashtra and Kutch regions, and major parts of Rajasthan, have arid and desert areas which face extreme heat in summer and extreme cold in winter and rainfall there is mostly deficient.
“Similarly, the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telan-gana, Jharkhand, Bihar, MP, Maha-rashtra, Odisha, etc. are frequently affected by unprecedented drought conditions and the desert is spreading in many such areas,” Mr Ahmed has said. He insisted that a welfare fund should be set up for the farmers of arid and desert areas as they face frequent drought conditions in these regions and generally lose their crops, leading to indebtedness and distress among them. The Bill seeks to provide for “protective measures and special facilities for farmers of arid, desert and drought-prone areas, who are often affected by natural calamities, causing loss of crops, livestock, making them vulnerable to indebtedness, disease and physical infirmities, and exploitation by moneylenders.”
