Updated: November 29, 2020 6:57:40 pm
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday. (AND ME)
As plain protests continue in and around Delhi against government-passed agricultural laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that these “reforms had opened the door to new possibilities.”
In his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ speech, Modi said that through these laws the demands of farmers, which at one time or another had been promised by all political parties, have been met. He called on young people, “especially those studying agriculture”, to go to nearby villages and raise awareness about the recently passed laws among farmers.
In his speech, Prime Minister Modi said “new dimensions” were being added to agriculture and other allied industries. “The agricultural reforms of the last few days have opened doors to new possibilities. For years, the demands of the peasants, demands that were promised at some point by all the political parties, those demands have been fulfilled. After much discussion, the Indian Parliament gave the agricultural reforms legal recognition. These reforms have not only removed many restrictions for farmers, but have given them new rights and new opportunities, ”Modi said.
Modi said these “new rights” had already begun to eliminate farmers’ problems, citing an example of a farmer in Maharashtra’s Dhule district, whose “full knowledge of the laws had come to his aid.” “Jitendra Bhoji had grown corn and decided to sell it at the right price to traders. The price of the harvest was decided at Rs 3.32 lakh. Jitendra Bhoji also received 25 lakhs in advance. It was decided that the rest of the money would be delivered to him in 15 days. But later, the circumstances turned out in such a way that he did not receive the money. Buy the crop from the farmer, don’t pay for months. Perhaps people have been following this practice for many years. In the same way, for four months, the payment of Jitendra ji was not made. In this situation, the new agricultural laws came to their aid. In this law it has been decided that in three days, the farmer must receive the full payment. And if the payment is not made, the farmer can file a complaint. The law has another very important thing. In this law there is a provision that establishes that the SDM of the area must address the farmer’s complaint within one month. Now, when our brother farmer had the force that came from this law, then his problem had to be solved. He complained, and within days his dues were paid. In other words, the full knowledge of the laws became the strength of Jitendra ji. Whatever the field, away from all kinds of rumors and misconceptions, correct information is a great help for all people, ”said Modi.
The prime minister also cited two other examples, that of Mohammad Aslam from Baran in Rajasthan, executive director of a local agricultural producer organization, who has created a WhatsApp farmers group to inform him about prevailing mandi rates, and Virendra Yadav from Kaithal, which has done Rs 2 million business in two years by selling agricultural stubble to agroenergy plants and paper mills using straw packing machines. “I ask young people, and specifically the thousands of students studying agriculture, to go to their nearby towns and educate farmers about the recently approved agricultural reforms. By doing this, they will be partners in the great change that is taking place in the country, ”Modi said.
With many of those protesting aagainst farm laws Hailing from Punjab, the Prime Minister reached out to the Sikh community. He said that Guru Nanak’s 551st Prakash Parva will be held on November 30 and that his influence is visible all over the world. Modi said that he had “been given the opportunity” to assist in the restoration of the Lakhpat Gurudwara Sahib in Kutch after it was damaged in the 2001 Bhuj earthquake. “Do you know that there is a Gurudwara in Kutch, Lakhpat Gurudwara Sahib? During his udasi, Guru Nanak ji had stayed at Lakhpat Gurudwara Sahib. In the 2001 earthquake, this gurudwara was also damaged. I was fortunate to be able to secure its renewal. Not only was the Gurudwara repaired, but its pride and glory were restored. We all receive blessings from Guru Sahib. The restoration efforts of the Lakhpat Gurudwara Sahib received the 2004 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award. The jury found that the restoration took into account minute details and also noted that the restoration of Gurudwara not only had the active contribution of the Sikh community, but was done under their direction, ”Modi said.
Modi also referred to the opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor as a historical event. “It is our great luck that we have the opportunity to serve Darbar Sahib again. For those Sikh brothers and sisters living abroad, it has become easier to send donations to Darbar Sahib. With this, the global community has reached out to Darbar Sahib. It was Guru Nanak Dev ji who started the langar tradition. And now we have seen how the Sikh community, all over the world, has maintained the tradition of feeding people in the days of Corona, ”said the Prime Minister.
The prime minister also spoke about Shri Aurobindo, even reciting a poem in Bengali during the broadcast, ahead of her death anniversary on December 5. “When we move forward with ‘Vocal for Local’, Shri Aurobindo’s Swadeshi leadership shows us the way … He used to say that Swadeshi means we should give priority to products made by Indian artisans. It is not that Shri Aurobindo protested against learning from abroad. Everything that is new in any place, we must learn. This is also the mantra of “Vocal For Local” in Aatmanirbhar Bharat … Shri Aurobindo used to say that our national education should be the training of the hearts and minds of our young people. Which means that the mind must be scientifically trained and the heart must have an Indian feeling. Only then can they become better citizens of the country. What Shri Aurobindo had said about national education at that time, what he had hoped, the country is fulfilling through the New Education Policy ”, said Modi.
On COVID-19, Modi said the world has experienced many ups and downs since the discovery of the first coronavirus case in November last year, and that discussions have now turned to vaccines. “But any laxity with Corona is very dangerous. We have to keep up our fight against Corona firmly, ”Modi said.
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