New Delhi: Addressing the Government, Rakesh Tikait raised a strong demand saying that there should be a separate Budget scheme for the farmers by showing various issues of the farming community. On the budget day, he also added that the government should also waive the loans of farmers.
While speaking at the Gaziabad border along with other farmers who have been protesting there for the last two months against the newly enacted farm law, he said that the farmers are going through a tough time and the government should provide a scheme to provide free electricity to farmers.
The government should announce a regular payment to the farm laborers to increase their income to support their families across the country. He requested the center by saying that “a separate fund for agricultural work under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act) should be announced to give regular payment to farm laborers”.
Referring to the Pradhan Mantri scheme, which aims to provide income, to support the landlords and their families, Tikait said that this support can be raised by the government. Under this scheme income support of Rs. 6,000 per year in three equal installments should be allocated to the small and marginal farmers, to those who are having a combined landholding and ownership of up to 2 hectares of land.
The farmer leader further said that the government should provide adequate amounts of water and electricity to farmers as the farmers from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar are paying different bills for electricity and water to the Government but getting the same price for the crops. He requested the center to exempt such discriminations in the agricultural sector among different states.