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The last few days, a lot of attention has been focused by the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, print media and the TV talk shows on the farmer debt waiver proposed by the Finance Bill for FY09. A consensus seems to be being arrived at that, the off-budget sum of Rupees Sixty Thousand Crores, if and when used to provide relief to some cultivators, is at best a palliative but not a cure for the persistent agri-crisis facing India for many years now. The basis issues causing the crisis have not been addressed in the last four years of this current government, and at the last moment (last year before national elections), it seems a 'cash for forgiveness' is being offered.
A lot of heart burn has been caused to many cultivators who feel left out of this governmental largess. All those who were regular in discharging their debts, those who had to manage loans from the money lenders and those who suffered due to volatility in cash crop prices, are out in the cold. Basically, it is not easy for the FM to accurately determine or find a unique measure to target the indebted cultivator who is really in a desperate condition. It is clear now that the ceiling of 2 hectare is at best a rather poor measure, especially if farmers of Punjab and Maharashtra are analysed. Dry farming seems to have escaped the relief net.
In this regard, I feel, all cultivators who have a total income below Rs. 100,000 per year could be classed as poor and so entitled to relief, irrespective of their land holding, quality of land, farming methods or crop. The easy method to determine the annual income would be to encourage them to file their annual income-tax returns and provide them with PAN cards. As of now, so many citizens are required to obtain their PAN cards and file 'returns' even if they do not have to pay any tax. So why not our about 12.4 million cultivators? Eventually, the rich farmers will be separated from the needy one's so that targeting of all kinds of relief is better managed. I wonder if any Constitutional amendments are needed for data gathering through existing systems. The Kisan Credit Card would not serve the purpose since it did not assess the income.
In the current situation, the existing information with the Dist. Collectors and Gram Panchayat could be used for better targeting of the needy cultivators. Over a period of five years, the IT data will be very useful for all kinds of social allocations too. Do our elected representative have the gumption to change the rules without getting emotional as always?
Jai Kisan.
A lot of heart burn has been caused to many cultivators who feel left out of this governmental largess. All those who were regular in discharging their debts, those who had to manage loans from the money lenders and those who suffered due to volatility in cash crop prices, are out in the cold. Basically, it is not easy for the FM to accurately determine or find a unique measure to target the indebted cultivator who is really in a desperate condition. It is clear now that the ceiling of 2 hectare is at best a rather poor measure, especially if farmers of Punjab and Maharashtra are analysed. Dry farming seems to have escaped the relief net.
In this regard, I feel, all cultivators who have a total income below Rs. 100,000 per year could be classed as poor and so entitled to relief, irrespective of their land holding, quality of land, farming methods or crop. The easy method to determine the annual income would be to encourage them to file their annual income-tax returns and provide them with PAN cards. As of now, so many citizens are required to obtain their PAN cards and file 'returns' even if they do not have to pay any tax. So why not our about 12.4 million cultivators? Eventually, the rich farmers will be separated from the needy one's so that targeting of all kinds of relief is better managed. I wonder if any Constitutional amendments are needed for data gathering through existing systems. The Kisan Credit Card would not serve the purpose since it did not assess the income.
In the current situation, the existing information with the Dist. Collectors and Gram Panchayat could be used for better targeting of the needy cultivators. Over a period of five years, the IT data will be very useful for all kinds of social allocations too. Do our elected representative have the gumption to change the rules without getting emotional as always?
Jai Kisan.
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