‘The Hitavada’ exclusively shot questions to Union Minister Anurag Thakur during his visit to Bhopal over a series of issues. While addressing queries he has said that his Government ensures good governance and development. Several initiatives have been taken for uplift of agrarian lives and several benefits given by the Modi government are yielding fruits to the lives of rural dwellers. The Senior Special Correspondent asked about the Bharatiya Janata Party’s assurance to farmers to double the their income but our ground report suggest that in last a four-five years, the input cost has been increased e.g. labour has become three times costlier but the farmers are upset over imbalance between their incurring expense and income. Union Minister Thakur said that despite there being a hike in fertiliser prices in other countries, there is no rise and no shortage in India. In other countries, there is a steep hike in prices of fertilisers, but In India, the Modi government has not allowed to increase the price, moreover Rs 2,54,000) crore subsidy on fertiliser has been given.

 

Despite war-like situations at two places in the world, in fertiliser there is no impact in India. Government has pushed for an Excise duty cut which has brought down petrol diesel two-three times. Although Congress ruled states have not given the benefit of these cuts to end users. Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, has said that contrary to this Congress had promised in Himachal Pradesh to provide Rs 2 per kg cow dung and Rs 100 for milk to farmers but such promises are being proved false. On Swaminathan recommendation, he said that the Government has implemented it with input cost plus 50 formula. In this way, prices have been paid some around one and half more than the earlier ones. In addition to this, procurement quantity has also doubled in these years. Even for pulses, it has reached 70 per cent.” Our Government is providing subsidies on fertilisers which are lowering the cost to a certain extent. Secondly, prices of disease have also been reduced.We asked in Madhya Pradesh, BJP talks about a double engine government.