Haryana's Kisan Sammelan

Touring villages and attending different meetings and rallies makes you feel more connected with the people as you get a firsthand experience about their problems. The recent tour of Jhaggar was very much enlightening. The pace at which villages are developing in Haryana makes me wonder, why it cannot be the same with every village of our country.

Economic system of our country totally depends on how we treat the farmers, the backbone of India’s economy. We read many articles on a daily basis which highlights the poor condition and the unfortunate occurrences where thousands of farmers commit suicide; the reason for it being the huge amount of debt which they are unable to pay back.  But in Haryana, the case has been different.  Under the leadership of Shri Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress led Haryana government has ensured the empowerment of the farmer community by helping them with different schemes from time to time.

Just a couple of days ago, I got a chance to attend the 3^rd State level Kisan Sammelan in Jhajjar district. I met some of the farmer-folks and talked to them for a while. “Congress led Haryana government has helped and encouraged them whenever they needed support from the government,” they said.  It was a splendid example of rural development in Haryana.

Here are the details of Kisan benefit schemes that the honourable chief minister Shri Bhupinder Singh Hooda unveiled in the Kisan Sammelan:

·      Mukhyamantri Kisan and Khetihar Mazdoor Jivan Suraksha Yojana : wherein any farmer or field worker gets a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs in the unfortunate event of death, while at work.

·        One Times Settlement (OTS) Scheme: wherein half the interest amount taken from cooperative banks will be waived off as one time settlement.

·     Mukhyamantri Dudharu Pashu Suraksha Yojana: wherein any cattle owner gets a compensation upto Rs 50,000 in the unfortunate event of death of their mulching animal. This is the first compensation scheme of its kind in India.

·        A compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre per crop in the event of crop damage due to any natural calamity like flood, drought etc. This amount is more than three times the highest compensation currently being provided in any state.

The cheer of the crowd and the happiness I felt while talking to them left me with sheer pleasure. I just wish the same is happening across the country and if not, the state governments should take the responsibility and bring prosperity to farmer-folks.