No farmer suicide in BJP’s 4-year rule in Rajasthan: Agri minister

Yash Goyal

Our Correspondent 

Jaipur, November 30 

Rubbishing the opposition Congress’ allegation of over 60 farmer suicides in the state, Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Prabhu Lal Saini on Thursday claimed there was not a single case of a farmer committing suicide in the BJP’s four-year rule. 

“I have enquired from the police department, no person (farmer) had committed suicide due to agricultural reason in the state,” Saini, observing the completion of four years of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje government, told a press conference here. 

“I strongly claim that farmers who are producing food grains cannot commit suicide. Those who did, it was very unfortunate and worrying for every one,” he said. 

However, the minister compared every successful data of Raje government’s four years with the former Gehlot government’s poor figures in agriculture but on the issue of farmers alleged suicides he kept mum saying, “I do not criticise any party or government on this matter”.

There were at least 15 farmer “suicides” in the state since January in the state the Congress party has alleged. It has been raising the issue and demanding crop loan waiver at several platforms. 

On the BJP government’s promise to farmers’ crop loan waiver, he reiterated that a high-power committee set up by Vasundhara Raje is working and surveying the other states’ position in granting loan waiver and it would be decided by the Cooperative Department by early next year.

An Agro-Tourist Centre of Excellence would be set up at Mount Abu, for which 3.5 hectares of land would be acquired, he announced, and added after its success a similar centre would be set up at Bassi, Dilwara and Kota. 

Over 4.1 crore farmers’ crop insurance claims worth Rs 493 crore were settled in the four years, he said.  

Annual budget of agriculture, animal husbandry and agro marketing has been raised to Rs 9551 crore, which was 62 per cent higher than the previous Gehlot government, he said.