Industry, not farmers, to blame for NPA crisis: Varun Gandhi

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 1

"We need to increase the scope of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) by paying marginal farmers as they cannot afford agricultural labour and it is socially awkward for them to till somebody else's land," said BJP MP Varun Gandhi at MCM DAV College for Women here on Saturday.

Gandhi, who recently authored a book, 'A Rural Manifesto', was in the city to speak on the current status of agriculture and education in the country.

It is pertinent to mention here that when the BJP came to power in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the MGNREGA scheme as a 'living monument failure' of the UPA government.

When asked about farmers converging in Delhi, he said, "There is no point playing blame games. Now, we need to look at solutions to specific problems. NPA crisis is not because of farmers not paying their loans, but the industry not paying its loans."

He said, "I am here to represent myself and not any party. I am trying my best to highlight agrarian issues."

Regarding the problems of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, he said, "Before blaming farmers of the two states for pollution, we should look into inefficiencies of the farming sector."

The Sultanpur MP said, "The penalty for burning stubble is Rs 2,500 per acre, while the cost of stubble processing unit, including labour and diesel, is Rs 6,000 per acre. So, burning the crop is economical for farmers. In fact, if we look at economies of scale, we can explore processing stubble and generating additional income for farmers."

Claiming that the inequality gap has widened over the years, he said, "Twenty-five years ago, the top 10 per cent wagers earned seven times more than the bottom 10 per cent. Today, top 10 per cent of wagers earn 40 times more than the bottom 10 per cent."

On water shortage in Maharashtra, he said, "In a state like Maharashtra where people are looting trains for water, builders are building apartments of 200 full-size swimming pools… The three districts of Mumbai, Pune and Thane consume 59 per cent of water as most of the rich people live there. In a survey conducted in 11 districts, it was found that the top 10 per cent of income tax payers consume per family 70 times more water than bottom 10 per cent in terms of economic status."

'30% youth have no education, jobs'

"Thirty per cent of young people in India in the age group of 15 and 29 years have no education, no employment and no formal training of skill set. What kind of forces are we creating?" he asked.

He asserted that privilege perpetuates privilege in India. "There is a 'closed club' of people running the country. Most coveted job for an Indian is IAS. Of every IAS officer, 76 per cent went to private schools and 19 per cent to convent schools. Over 85 per cent grew up in the top 25 cities in India."

"There are 15.5 lakh schools in India. Posh boards like CBSE or ICSE constitute 1.2 per cent of schools in India and 89 per cent of students who attempt IIM and 81 per cent of IIT seekers come from these posh boards. If only 1 per cent of India will run the country, then what kind of democracy have we become?" he questioned.

Education loans account for 67,000 crore, but more frightening is that non-performing assets on education loans are Rs 6,000 crore.

He pressed on the need for creating 'national employment policy'.

He also advocated for petition system in the country.