14.4.15

Kejriwal ups compensation for farmers

Trying to upstage the Centre that recently announced a 50% hike in compensation for crop damage, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal declared that his government would pay Delhi farmers hit by unseasonal rain Rs.50,000 per hectare (Rs.20,000 per acre). With days to go for his April 22 protest against the land acquisition Bill at Jantar Mantar, Kejriwal claimed the compensation was higher than what the other states and the Centre were offering.
The CM was addressing a rally in rural Mundka that was attended by senior AAP members and the party's MLAs from the rural belt.Although it was meant to be a show of strength, they were greeted by many empty spaces amid the audience.
Before the CM's speech, AAP member Sanjay Singh made a fiery speech and asked the villagers to join the Jantar Mantar rally to build pressure against the land acquisition Bill.
Kejriwal said his government would stand by farmers in their crisis. “At a time when farmers are committing suicide in other states and agriculture is not considered lucrative, it is important to send out a message to the rest of the nation. I hope farmers in places like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and even Gujarat will demand higher compensation,“ he said.
Before the rally , Kejriwal visited fields in Narela, Bawana and Mundka constituencies to take stock of the crop damage. He said the compensation amount had been fixed after a survey and if farmers still had objections, they would be decided in panchayat meetings in the presence of MLAs and officials.
The CM also announced his government's plan to provide subsidy to farmers for buying seeds and fertilizers.Delhi Jal Board has been directed to clear their pending applications for tubewell connections, he said, adding that the government will consider their request for cheaper electricity and a review of Delhi Land Reform Act.
Although agriculture has got a lot of attention from the AAP government, it makes up just about 1.2% of Delhi's GDP and there are roughly 20,000 landholdings with 30,000-35,000 farmers in the city, according to the 2011 agriculture census.

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