‘Govt’s Grand Schemes Had Nothing New for Farmers’: Yogendra Yadav

Yogendra Yadav says the Modi government’s COVID-19 relief package had ‘nothing new’ for the farmers.

Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj India.

(Photo: PTI)

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bharadwaj

Speaking about the measures taken by the Centre to help farmers during the coronavirus pandemic, Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav says the sad reality is that the government has done “nothing new” for the farmers, who have been working tirelessly to maintain the nation’s economy despite a nationwide lockdown.

“What do the grand declarations by the government have to do with the losses that farmers incur,” he asks before moving to answer it saying that the government simply readvertised two old schemes – MSP hike and Kisaan Credit Card – and announced them as part of the relief package.

“Farmers had one demand that the interest on their loans be waived and be compensated on their loss especially on perishable products, but the government didn’t even meet that.”

Yogendra Yadav, President, Swaraj India

On the topic of MSP hike, Yadav says the “MSP increases every year just like our salaries” but the government makes it look like a historic move. He further added that the MSP on paddy was 2.9 percent this year in comparison to last year’s 3.7 percent, and if you balance it against the annual inflation, then the price has actually decreased.

Watch the video above for more.