BHOPAL: The fiscal health of the state is not good. No bonus will be given to farmers on purchase of wheat and even the Bhavantar scheme does not hold good now, said agriculture welfare minister Kamal Patel on Tuesday.
Patel said that the financial condition of the state was not good due to the corona pandemic. Such is the state that the government is finding it hard to give salaries to its employees. The government has no plans to give bonus on wheat purchase to farmers.
The agriculture minister balanced his statement by adding that the provisions made in the Union Budget were so good for agriculture that there was no need now for any additional support for farmers by the state government. “Now, no loan waiver or Bhavantar is required for farmers,” said Patel.
Patel justified the action being taken by the electricity department in seizing the goods of farmers who have pending electricity bills. “How will the energy department run without money? It’s the big farmers who aren’t paying their electricity bills and are defaming the entire farming community,” said Patel.
Replying to a question, the agriculture minister said that his department would draw up a list of such people as bureaucrats and others enrolled as farmers who were taking undue advantage of government schemes, such as income-tax relaxations, meant for actual farmers.
Patel’s Sadbudhi Yagna on Feb 4
Kamal Patel will perform a ‘Sadbudhi Yagna’ on February 4 on the banks of the Narmada in Harda. “I’ll perform the yagna and pray to God to bring wisdom to the ‘so-called farmers’ agitating against the Centre’s farm laws,” said Patel. These people aren’t farmers and they’re no well-wishers of the farming community,” he added.
