Gandhi would have been 'very happy' with new farm Bill: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said Mahatma Gandhi would have been "very happy" today with the passage of the farm reform Bills, as the welfare of farmers was close to his heart.

Addressing a programme on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the minister said the Centre is committed to ensuring the welfare of farmers and the decision regarding the farm bills has been well received at the grassroot level.

The three Bills recently passed by Parliament are the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020.

Singh said the "welfare of farmers was very close to Mahatma Gandhi's heart, and he would have been very happy today with the clearing of the farmers' Bills", according to a release issued by the organisers of the programme.

The Union Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office and Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions added that the government is committed to the welfare of farmers and at the grassroots, this decision has been well received.

Besides, Singh said the government's clarion call for Swachhata backed by its efforts have made cleanliness a mass movement, in line with the timeless teachings of Gandhi.

He was speaking at the programme, titled 'Mahatma Gandhi's Experiments with Swachhata: Key to Prosperity', to commemorate the birth anniversary of Gandhi, organised by Kendriya Bhandar along with the Centre for Strategy and Leadership.

The minister appreciated that during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, cooperatives like Kendriya Bhandar worked tirelessly to ensure that dietary items and hygiene kits were made available to the needy, free of cost.

Centre for Strategy and Leadership CEO Vikas Sharma said Gandhi was a firm believer in the proverb "Cleanliness is next to Godliness". He was aware that lack of hygiene and sanitation was a menace which is not only responsible for various diseases and epidemics but also gave rise to social evils such as untouchability and discrimination, Sharma added.

Doordarshan Director General Mayank Kumar Agarwal said Gandhi's teachings on Swachhata (cleanliness) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to the same have saved India from a big disaster. "Had the prime minister not started the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the nation today would have faced a bigger challenge in the face of COVID-19.