Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar said that distress of farmers needs urgent national attention and their issues deserve timely resolution. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Reiterating his position on the ongoing farmers’ protests and their demand for a statutory minimum support price (MSP), Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said in Dharwad on Thursday that distress of farmers needs urgent national attention and their issues deserve timely resolution. He maintained that the nation cannot afford to put concerns of farmers on back burner.
Delivering his address as chief guest at an event in College of Agriculture, University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharwad, Mr. Dhankhar said farmers need economic security. “We cannot afford in this nation, that is rising and the rise is unstoppable and the rise is as never before, to put concerns of farmers on back burner. Time is the essence of resolution of all issues. But I would say time is of absolute essence when it comes to finding resolution of farmers’ problems. The government is working. We want everyone to be in synergetic mode, to converge with a positive mind to find solutions,” he added. Earlier, speaking at a function in Maharshtra, he had publicly urged Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to talk to farmers and try to find a solution to their demands. He had also ridiculed the argument that a statutory MSP will result in inflation.
He said agro-based industries are prospering and farmers should equally share the profits. “These institutions must commit their corporate social responsibility fund for welfare of the farmer, for research of the farm sector. They must think liberally in this direction because farm produce is their lifeline and that heartbeat is controlled by the farmer. We have to do three things: One, keep our farmers happy. Two, keep our farmers happy. And three, keep our farmers happy at any cost,” he said.
He said when the farmer is economically fine, the economy gets driven. “When the farmer spends, economy is automatically driven. And therefore, we will have another positive impact. There will be no non-performing assets in the farm sector if the farm sector is vibrant, greased, lubricated, taken care of, attended. We must pay attention to the farmer as we pay attention to our patients in ICU”, he added.
Published – January 17, 2025 01:35 am IST
