India News | One Farmer Ends Life Every Hour in India Due to Economic Distress, Claims Congress Leader

Bhopal, Jan 11 (PTI) A farmer commits suicide every hour in India due to economic distress, Congress leader Charan Singh Sapra said on Thursday while attacking the Union government over its agricultural policies.

He said the Narendra Modi government had promised to double the income of farmers by 2022 but it is yet to be fulfilled.

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"On an average, one farmers commits suicide every hour in the country. The Union government had promised to double the income of farmers by 2022. However, while the investment (to sow crops) per hectare has gone up to Rs 2,500, the farmer earns Rs 27 per day," he claimed.

Farmers were not getting minimum support price for their produce, and also had to pay steep Goods and Services Tax while buying farm equipment, Sapra told reporters.

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"Budgetary allocation of Rs 8,000 crore for the Union government's Kisan Samman Nidhi has been slashed. Instead of doubling farm income, the names of 6 crore farmers have been struck from the (beneficiary) list of the Kisan Samman Nidhi," he alleged.

There are 14.65 crore farmers in the country, the Congress spokesperson said citing government data.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)