Check on food prices, cutting dependence on monsoon NDAs priorities: President agencies New Delhi, June 09 The NDA government will launch a prime ministers national irrigation programme to cut the countrys dependence on the monsoon and clamp down on food prices, President Pranab Mukherjee said in a speech to Parliament on Monday, outlining Prime Minister Narendra Modis policy agenda. The customary address, delivered in the first session of Parliament on behalf of the government, proposed measures to ease supply bottlenecks side of various farm commodities. This means rolling out an infrastructure capable of quickly moving farm produce from fields to markets, while overhauling the public distribution system, Indias network of over 500,000 fair price shops. The country lacks an efficient cold storage-enabled network of trucks, warehouses and even rail wagons, which some experts blame on poor policy initiatives.The country will have a network of freight corridors with specialised agri-rail networks for perishable agricultural products, the president said. Retail food prices have been hovering around double digits, averaging 10% over the past two years, mainly on the back of costlier vegetables, milk and fruits. The previous UPA governments inability to control food prices is considered to be a major reason for voters anger against them. The president also promised to crack down on black marketeering and hoarding, or the practice by traders to hold on to stocks to worsen scarcity in order to earn super profits. The president also announced a Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sinchayee Yojana, similar to the Grameen Sadak Yojana, to expand the countrys irrigation network, in what could be one of the largest rural infrastructure programmes of the new government. While the previous government successfully raised farm output to record highs through better farm practices, a stagnant irrigation network has ensured lower productivity levels and heavy dependence on dodgy monsoon. My government is alert about the possibility of a subnormal monsoon this year and contingency plans are being prepared, the president said. The governments motto is water for every farm, the president said. Each drop of water is precious. My government is committed to giving high priority to water security. It will complete the long pending irrigation projects on priority and launch the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana with the motto ofHar Khet Ko Paani. Mukherjee said the government was committed to reversing unfortunate farmer suicides. The broad policy measure to boost the farm sector would be by increasing investment in agriculture, both public and private, especially in farm infrastructure, he said.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 14:56:39 +0000
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