Congress lambasts Centre's 11 support measures for farmers, fires 'debt trap' charge

Lashing out at the Centre's announcement of the third tranche of the economic package on Friday, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that the package worth Rs.20 lakh crore had proved to be an example of 'voodoo economics'. He claimed that the Union government had disappointed the entire country by failing to translate their promises into reality. Maintaining that farmers and labourers were facing a lot of difficulties, Surjewala accused the Centre of pushing them into a debt trap.

Moreover, he complained that the farmers had not been provided with any financial help. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh argued that Friday's announcements were already present in the Union Budget. He also requested Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to reveal the revised expenditure figure for the fiscal year 2020-21. 

Read: Amit Shah Lauds 'unprecedented Assistance' Given To Farmers In Phase 3 Of Economic Package

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11 measures announced

Earlier in the day, Sitharaman listed 11 measures pertaining to enhancing the infrastructure of the agriculture and allied sectors and associated governance reforms. Some of the measures include providing Rs.1 lakh crore for farm-gate infrastructure, Rs.10,000 crore for Formalisation of Micro Food Enterprises, Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana worth Rs.20,000 crore, National Animal Disease Control Programme worth Rs. 13,343 crore, Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund of Rs.15,000 crore, promotion of herbal cultivation, a scheme for beekeeping and extension of Operation Greens to all fruits and vegetables. The Union Finance Minister also elaborated on governance reforms such as an amendment to the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to enable better price realisation for farmers, legislation on agricultural marketing reforms and creation of a legal framework for ensuring assured returns and risk mitigation for farmers. 

Read: From Horticulture To Beekeeping: Here Are Measures To Boost Infra In Farm & Allied Sectors