Focus on ease of doing farming: H D Deve Gowda to PM

Bengaluru: Championing the cause of farmers' protesting in New Delhi, JD (S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda took to Twitter on Friday to draw Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attention on the need to better the “ease of doing agriculture” across the country. 

In a series of tweets on a day when lakhs of farmers arrived in New Delhi to press for relief from debt and remunerative prices for their produce, Mr Gowda said "Modi government and the BJP are boasting about betterment of India's position in the 'Ease of Doing Business' index. But, with 'Ease of Doing Business', India should also better itself in 'Ease of Doing Agriculture'. This is very important @narendramodi avare." 

Pointing out that agriculture constitutes the backbone of Indian economy, the former prime minister, in another tweet, said, “Eradication of poverty, employment generation, rural development are all possible if India betters itself in 'Ease of Doing Agriculture' too.”

Mr Gowda cited the farm loan waiver scheme announced by Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government headed by his son Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy as an example for “ease of doing agriculture.”

“With farmers' loan waiver scheme, Karnataka is bettering itself in 'Ease of Doing Agriculture'. Meanwhile, @narendramodi should direct nationalised and commercial banks who are issuing notices to farmers and are creating uncertainties," he said in his third tweet. 

He felt that such notices from banks for recovery of loans was adding to anxiety of farmers about their future.