Farmer no fool, govts should put the money where the mouth is
Latest news : All along the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, a couple of things stood out during my two-day trip to the region in the midst of the state-wide farmers’ agitation. First, unlike our common perception, farmers today are highly informed and well versed about their rights, government schemes and programmes. So, they would not shy away from claiming their due, be it from the district administration, state or Centre. The agitation that spread across Madhya Pradesh and has been gathering strength since June 1 is also on account of many unfulfilled promises of both the Central and State governments. The immediate cause, though, is sharp crash in prices of all major commodities grown in the region, but there also is growing anger against tardy implementation of programmes and unfulfillment of promises both by the Centre and state. More than the promises, it’s there tardy implementation that is hurting the rural population more. Central and state schemes look good on paper...