Government to take ad route to clear stand on urea policy

The United Progressive Alliance government plans to launch a mega advertisement campaign to explain its new urea policy to the farmers. The campaign will also aim at thwarting the political storm arising out of the government’s switch to the new fertiliser policy.

Interestingly, the campaign — in both print and electronic media apart from materials at the panchayat level for the farming community — will be spearheaded by the same fertiliser ministry that opposed the new subsidy policy mooted by the finance ministry at a recent Cabinet meeting.

Fertiliser Minister M K Alagiri had raised strong objections in the meeting that also found echo in Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee. The objections, however, were overruled by other Congress ministers. The campaign will try to explain to the farmers how the new policy of nutrient-based subsidy will help them.