Advani promises revolutionary farm policy

Spelling out his plans for the farmers, the opposition leader L K Advani has promised major overhaul of the agriculture policy and schemes, in case he could lead the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to power at the centre in the coming General election.

Advani, Prime-ministerial candidate of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) told a group of farmers on the occasion of the harvest festival of "makar-sankranti" here today that the NDA had plans to make far-reaching policy decisions on reviving the farm sector. These included a massive hike in the public spending on the sector and initiative revolutionary new measures to promote agriculture-based based value-addition industries in rural areas.

The meeting was part of Advani’s planned interactions with representatives of different sectors of economy. Earlier he had met the top corporate leaders of the country.

Advani said that in case the NDA was elected to power, the development of rural infrastructure – roads, power, irrigation, storage facilities, etc. – would receive massive fillip.

Regretting the current state of agriculture in the country Advani said, Ägriculture’s falling share in the GDP but continued dependence of a large section of our populace on farming – is at the crux of the social and economic problems facing India, including the problem of unemployment."

The BJP leader said that during A B Vajpayee’s tenure, the NDA government had shown its commitment to rural economy as it was during this period that India’s largest rural roads construction programme since the independence - Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PSRY) - was conceived and launched.

Advani held the Congress government responsible for the sense of livelihood insecurity and a spate of suicides among the farming community across the country, since it was this party that had ruled India most of the time since the independence.

He also alleged that the various relief packages announced by the present United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had not worked, as farmers’ suicides had continued in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh - ruled by the Congress. Besides, he said in Andhra Pradesh, handloom weavers too had committed suicide in recent months.

Advani assured the farmers that in case agriculature was handled deftly, this sector alone could create massive employment opportunities and contribute to the economy in a big way.