Anurag Thakur appeals for peaceful resolution of farmers protest

New Delhi: Union Minister  Anurag Singh Thakur speaks to journalists regarding the farmers’ protest in the national Capital on Tuesday evening..
Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs, Anurag Thakur said that Modi government is working with commitment for the welfare of farmers from the first day since it’s inception. “In the last 10 years, many schemes were brought for farmer welfare which benefited crores of farmers of the country on the ground.”
On the issue of talks with farmers, Anurag Thakur said, “The government is always ready for discussion. Whenever the demand arises, the government itself comes forward. This time also our ministers went to Chandigarh and sat continuously for several hours at night for discussion. “We held two rounds of talks with the protesters. The government is clearly in favor of discussion, that is why we did not leave during the talks, but the protesters left first. But the government is ready for further discussions as well.”
Anurag Thakur further said, “The protesters should understand that by continuously adding new issues to the discussion, they cannot be resolved immediately. If you talk about India’s separation from WTO, about ending the free trade agreement, if you stop installing of smart meters, demand exclusion on the issue of stubble burning or talk about excluding agriculture from the climate issue, then these are not one day decisions.
For this we will have to talk to other stakeholders and states as well. And that is why the government has also proposed to form a Committee to discuss it in detail. There was neither any deficiency on the part of the government before nor there is any deficiency now.”
In 2013-14, when UPA government was in power, the highest agriculture budget was ₹ 27 thousand 662 crores. Currently, the agriculture budget of Modi government is more than ₹1 lakh 25 thousand crore. That is 5 times more.
There was no Kisan Samman Nidhi during UPAs time, we provided relief to more than 11 crore farmers through Kisan Samman Nidhi. 2 lakh 81 thousand crore rupees have been transferred directly into their bank accounts.
Earlier, farmers did not get anything under the crop insurance

scheme. Under the Modi government, farmers have received compensation of more than 1.5 lakh crore.
Out of 10 thousand FPOs, 8 thousand have been established and lakhs of farmers have also joined it.”
Thakur also highlighted  the work done by Modi government in the interest of farmers, Anurag S Thakur said, “Modi government spent one and a half times more, i.e. about ₹ 15 thousand 500 crore rupees for irrigation schemes.
On the question of resuming of talks with the protesters, Anurag Thakur cited,  the example of recent Qatar incident, where Modi took the leadership and through talks, secured the release of our eight former navy personnel from death row. (inputs from PIB, Chandigarh)