Raipur: Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has penned a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pressing for the removal of the ban on farmers’ bonuses. He asserted that these bonuses, totaling a substantial Rs. 3700 crore for the years 2014–15 and 2015–16, are undeniably owed to the hard working farmers of Chhattisgarh.
The roots of this ongoing issue can be traced back to a promise made to farmers in 2013. At that time, a commitment was made to procure all their grains, particularly paddy, at a rate of Rs 2100 per quintal, accompanied by an additional bonus of Rs 300 per quintal. However, the promise soon turned into a broken one as, in 2014, the Central Government enacted a ban on bonuses for agricultural produce. This decision left Chhattisgarh’s farmers bereft of their rightful Rs. 3700 crore, a financial setback that has plagued them for years.
Chief Minister’s letter states that during the 2013–14 period, the previous state government procured paddy at a minimum support price of Rs 1350 per quintal. However, the arrival of the Central Government in May 2014 ushered in the ban on bonuses for agricultural produce. Consequently, the previous state government found itself unable to fulfill its commitment to provide bonuses to farmers for the years 2014–15 and 2015–16.
In a bid to quell potential farmer unrest, the Central Government temporarily lifted the ban on bonuses for the year 2016–17. This move allowed the previous administration to offer a bonus of Rs. 300 per quintal to farmers for paddy procured during the years 2016–17 and 2017–18.
However, this relief was short-lived, as the Chief Minister pointed out in his letter. After his government took office in 2018, the Central Government reinstated the ban on bonuses for paddy procured in June 2019. This ongoing prohibition continues to cast a shadow over farmers across the nation, depriving them of much-needed bonuses on their agricultural produce.
In a resolute effort to safeguard the interests of farmers, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has called upon the Prime Minister to lift the Central Government’s ban on bonuses for farmers. His actions are geared towards ensuring that farmers finally receive the outstanding sum that is rightfully owed to them.
