Low agri growth, rural discontent to keep Shivraj Singh Chouhan occupied

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan focused on his successful ‘Ladli Behna’ Yojana during his Lok Sabha campaign, promising to empower women further with the ‘Lakhpati Behnas' scheme.

The 'Lakhpati Behna' programme, run by the rural development ministry, aims to provide training to women in self-help groups (SHGs) to help them generate a sustainable annual income of at least Rs 1 lakh. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman increased the target for creating 'Lakhpati Didis' from two crores to 30 million in the FY25 Interim Budget.

On Monday, the 65-year-old Shivraj Singh Chouhan was given the charge of the rural development ministry and the agriculture ministry.

These responsibilities will allow him to establish a significant presence in the country’s rural and agricultural landscape. Together the two ministries command over Rs 4.15 trillion of the country's annual Budget. 

These ministries have been instrumental in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to support the rural poor, landless labourers, and agricultural development through various schemes.

Chouhan’s performance in the agriculture ministry will be closely monitored, especially in light of the ongoing farmer discontent due to falling farm-gate prices and diminished realization.

With thousands of farmers still camping on the borders of Haryana and Punjab, demanding the legalisation of minimum support prices (MSP) and the release of jailed leaders, Chouhan will face pressure from the Opposition Congress.

Given his experience managing the farm sector during his tenure as the chief minister, Chouhan will need to utilise his expertise to boost the country's agriculture sector, which is experiencing low growth.

Agriculture growth in Madhya Pradesh averaged 7 per cent during Chouhan’s tenure, compared to the national average of 3.8 per cent.

India’s agriculture sector growth dipped to 1.4 per cent in FY24, the lowest since 2018-19, due to below-normal rains in 2023 affecting crop output.

As Chouhan steps into his new roles, he will also need to focus on reviving agricultural reforms that have stalled.

With his extensive political background, having served as the Madhya Pradesh CM for 17 years with four different tenures and as a six-time Lok Sabha MP, Chouhan brings a wealth of experience to the Union Cabinet for the first time.

Chouhan, who defeated Pratap Bhanu Sharma of the Congress from Vidisha Lok Sabha by more than 800,000 votes in the Lok Sabha elections, was elected MLA for the first time from Budhni Assembly in 1990.

The very next year in 1991, he was also elected MP for the first time from Vidisha.

Chouhan is considered to be the architect of the unprecedented victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party by sidelining the anti-incumbency wave in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections of December 2023.

The Ladli Behna Yojana, specially designed for the women of the state, was considered a game changer in those elections.

Under Mission 29, Chouhan reached Chhindwara the very next day of the elections and said that he was aiming to win all the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state.