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ecent ordinance on acquiring land for purposes
such as security and defence, infrastructure and affordable housing has come as
a bolt from the blue to the farmers of the country who have been eagerly
looking forward to Achche Din since the ascent of Narendra Modi to the post of
Prime Minister. The ordinance is all set to hurt the very backbone of the
agrarian country.
The honourable Prime Minister who is looked
up, rather touted, as the harbinger of good days, seems to have betrayed the
very people who elected his party to power anticipating a change for better.
True,
development is his mantra. But why does the buzzword not encompass the
agricultural sector which, of course, is in dire need of development? The field can be made attractive for
youngsters by introducing new technology. More funds should be allocated for
research and development in the field. The young educated who return to fields
can be encouraged by offering incentives.
More importantly, steps should be taken to bridge the yawning gap
between the procuring and the selling prices.
But
alas! Poor farmers of this country have become increasingly insecure living the
nightmare of their land being snatched at any time. With the Damocles’ Sword
hanging over their head, they would not be left with any drive to develop their
land. Reassurance to these battered souls appears to be a distant dream. As a
consequence, food production will suffer.
The developments will spiral into skyrocketing prices of food items.
Food production, which ought to have been placed at the centre of the much
touted Make in India slogan, is seen not even at the periphery.
Farmers
will get four-times the price of their land as compensation, as per the
ordinance. This is nothing but justifying the injustice meted out to the land
owners. There are instances of people
splurging the compensation amount on luxuries only to be reduced to penury in
later years. Ultimately these people
migrate to cities for a livelihood further straining the fragile urban
infrastructure.
The
recent action of the NDA government of pricing half of the taktal tickets in
trains depending upon the demand, goes against the interest of the common
people. Instead of controlling the
private travel operators who fleece the passengers, government has toed the
same line.
Prime Minister’s pep talks on every
possible occasion like Teachers’ Day and Children’s Day and the feel-good
projects such as Swachch Bharat Abhiyan and Good governance Day just give a
semblance of the promised Achche Din. However, when it comes to taking concrete
decisions, he appears to appease the cream rather than the downtrodden. The fact that whichever party comes to
power, the common man is always left to run from pillar to post, has been
proved once again.
Indira R. Acharya
