'Farmer suicides will come down with Modi's pro-farmer schemes'

Suicides by famers in India are likely to be reduced with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-farmers schemes, BJP leader Vijaypal Singh Tomar said on Friday.

"Unlike during the Congress government, the BJP government has taken steps to address this issue (farmer suicides) by launching several schemes which will protect the interest of the famers," Tomar, the president of the BJP Kisan Morcha, told journalists here.

He said that over 2.5 lakh farmers committed suicide and 3.7 crore farmers have left farming during the last 15 years due to "the mismanagement of the Congress and its failure to adopt policies which should be in the interest of the faming community".

However, Prime Minister Modi has taken several decisions including the sanctioning of Rs.50,000 crore for the five year plan for implementation of Prime Minister Krishi Sichai Yojana, out of which Rs.5,300 crore was released during the first year," he said, adding the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme has also been launched earlier this month.

Stating that excess rain and hailstorm have been included in natural calamity category, he said: "The amount of compensation has been increased for the crop damage up to the extent of 33 percent instead of 50 percent.

"The limit of compensation has been increased from 1 hectare to 2 hectares. The amount has been increased from Rs.1.5 lakh to Rs.4 lakh in case of death of farmers due to natural calamity."

Tomar also noted that 14 crore farmers will be given Soil Health Card in the next three years for which the government has allocated Rs.568 crore.