Nirmesh Singh
New Delhi | 04 Sep 2017

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh greeting the new MoS Krishna Raj

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh greeting new MoS Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

Farmers continue to die and Radha Mohan Singh continues to survive. That’s how the speculations about him getting dropped from the Union Council of Ministers ended in surprise. Even though the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley claimed that the allocation of portfolios was done after a close monitoring of the performance of each ministry and its ministers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Agri Minister succeeded in saving himself.  But Prime Minister  has inducted two new ministers of state in agriculture ministry to work with Radha Mohan Singh, as part of the cabinet reshuffle on Sunday. Two new ministers Krishna Raj and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat have been inducted as MoS in agri ministry replacing SS Ahluwalia and Sudarshan Bhagat.  It is yet to be figured out whether the shifting of two Agri Ministers of State SS Ahluwalia and Sudarshan Bhagat to other ministries was an action or reward.

On this occasion, Shri Radha Mohan Singh said, “In his Ministry, he has already accompanied by an experienced and efficient Minister of State, Shri ParshottamRupala. With the cooperation of these two Ministers of State, I am confident that the resolution of the creation of a new India and doubling the income of the farmers will be completed by 2022”.

Both the new ministers said that their priority would be to achieve the aim of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is a first time minister and is a Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur in Rajasthan while Krishna Raj, also a Lok Sabha MP from Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh has been shifted from the women and child development ministry.

Government of India is currently battling to check farm suicides and farmers’ unrest. Despite record production this year 2016-17, government has failed to assure remunerative prices to farmers. Farmers from several states have been protesting since March this year demanding loan waivers and remunerative crop prices. Tamil Nadu farmers sat on protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi drawing attention with their innovative protesting methods. There was also a heated debate in parliament in recently concluded monsoon session where the opposition accused the government of being insensitive towards farmers’ issues.

It is to be seen how Radha Mohan Singh and his new team takes up the challenge to revive agriculture and address farm issues.

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