Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday stressed that agriculture is the backbone of India’s economy, and farmers are its soul.
While replying to the Lok Sabha debate on grants for his ministry, he criticized the Congress government for neglecting farmers.
Chouhan alleged that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru barely mentioned farmers in his speeches.
He also claimed that police fired on protesting farmers under Congress rule, killing 23 in Bihar in 1986 and five in Uttar Pradesh in 1988.
Chouhan compared budget allocations for agriculture under different governments.
During Congress rule from 2004-14, the agriculture ministry received ₹1,51,277 crore.
In contrast, the NDA government allocated ₹10,75,600 crore.
Furthermore, he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. He highlighted the government’s free ration scheme, which benefits 80 crore people.
He also linked farmers’ progress to village development, stating that both are crucial for an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
Chouhan emphasized the government’s efforts to modernize farming.
He mentioned that small farmers receive tools under the Krishi Yantrikaran Yojana. Moreover, the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme directly transferred ₹3,68,000 crore to farmers’ bank accounts.
He criticized past corruption in welfare schemes.
“Earlier, if ₹1 was sent, only ₹15 reached the people. Now, every rupee reaches the beneficiaries,” he stated.
Additionally, he noted that the fertilizer subsidy increased from ₹31,280 crore in 2013-14 to ₹2,45,799 crore in 2022-23.
After the discussion, the Lok Sabha approved the budget estimates for 2025-26.
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