Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that some people in the country were trying to mislead farmers over agriculture Bills.

“Misinformation is being spread in the country today by some people that farmers will not be getting right prices of their produce but our government is committed to helping farmers get fair prices…now they can sell their produce anywhere in the country without any restrictions”, he said, inaugurating and flagging off railway projects in Bihar worth ₹2,700 crore.

Referring to the new farm Bills, he said, “The farmers of the country will get freedom from middlemen and they will get more options and opportunities to sell their produce… these Bills have come as a raksha kawach [protection safety] for them. But some people are spreading different kinds of misinformation about farm Bills…they’re protesting for the sake of protest. Farmers are watching them…they’re very much aware as to who are the middlemen”.

‘NDA has done it’

They (the protesters) made tall claims about MSP [Minimum Support Price] but never fulfilled them for farmers’ benefit. But the NDA government had done it, he noted.

“My government is committed to giving right MSP to farmers… there are arrangements that farmers of the country get the right MSP. Our government has been continuously trying to remove each and every problem of farmers... through Pradhan Mantri Kisan Kalyan Yojna, ₹1 lakh crore has been directly transferred to the accounts of 10 crore farmers of the country. I want to convey to you [farmers] that you should not be misled by anyone. Some people are lying to farmers. They’re supporters of brokers. These agricultural reforms will provide new avenues to farmers to increase their profits. The agriculture sector will benefit from modern technology and our farmers will be empowered”, he stated.

The Lok Sabha has passed The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. Shiromani Akali Dal leader and its lone representative in the Union Cabinet Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned over the Bills pushed by the government.

Kosi rail mega bridge

Earlier, Mr. Modi digitally inaugurated the Kosi rail mega bridge along with other railway projects for Bihar worth ₹2,700 crore.

The 1.9-km-long bridge on the Kosi river, constructed at a cost of ₹516 crore, will connect Bihar with its north-astern part and has strategic importance as well, along the India-Nepal border.

“The bridge will connect Mithila and Kosi region after 86 years…the distance between Nirmali and Saraigarh will be reduced from 298 km to 22 km”, said the Prime Minister.

“If there is a will and an associate like Nitish Kumar, what is not possible?”, said Mr. Modi while speaking about delayed rail projects that were fast-tracked by the NDA government in the State. “If they [UPA government] had cared for people of Mithilanchal and the people of Bihar, then the Kosi rail bridge project would have been completed on time”, he added.

12 other rail projects

Mr. Modi also inaugurated 12 other rail projects related to passenger facilities in the State. A new railway bridge on the Kiul river, two new railway lines, five electrification projects, one electric locomotive shed at Barauni and a third line project between Barh-Bakhtiyarpur are some of the projects.

“Today almost 90% of the rail network in Bihar has been electrified”, he claimed.

This was Mr. Modi’s fourth digital inauguration and foundation laying of several projects in poll-bound Bihar.