Agro Sector : Addressing the Disconnect

Prof Sudhir Panwar
The party manifesto is not backed by legal force but public expectations, people evaluate performance on the basis of promises made by the party during elections.
Last year several new and redesigned schemes were rolled out for agriculture and rural sector. The increase in relief amount & relaxed eligibility criterion during natural calamities like drought and flood were important change.  Still the issue of disbursement, which is essentially a state Government’s responsibility, is still to be addressed.   The report on mandies created under MNREGA can be major employment boosters with rural employment schemes.
As The Economic Survey of 2015 claims, the government is successful in containing the food prices with corrective policy measures.
Several big ticket schemes like Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sinchai Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, National Agriculture Market through e-platform,  increased credit flow for revival of cooperative banks budgetary provision of Rs 8.5 Lac crore agriculture credit at lower interest and soil health card were announced in budget and in different stages of implementation.   Modi himself came forward with promise of double income by the year 2022.
The immediate need of farmers is income augmentation which can be affected either through higher return of their produce or through measures like loan waivers
(The writer is an expert on Agrarian issues)