Mann Ki Baat: Farmers Will Benefit From New Bills, Says PM Modi

Talking about India’s rich tradition in storytelling, PM Modi said that ‘our stories are gaining popularity again.’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing people on his radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’.

(Photo: PTI) 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation in his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ segment on Sunday, 27 September.

Hailing the contribution of Indian farmers in ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that they would benefit too from the new agriculture-related Bills once these become laws, reported news agency IANS.

He pointed out that growers had benefited when fruits and vegetables were taken off the ambit of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Act in 2014 and now other farmers would benefit too.

They would be able to send their produce wherever they want and also get a good price, the prime minister added while addressing the nation in the 69th edition of his monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’.

Earlier, farmers could not sell their produce because of strict laws wherein they were challenged for selling their farm produce outside APMCs, said PM Modi.

The new Bills passed by Parliament this month are opposed by different farmer unions and Opposition parties. He also lauded farmers in Haryana, Gujarat and other states for doing well or themselves.

“Had we followed the essence of Bapu's (Mahatma Gandhi) economic philosophy, we would not need to work for building an Atmanirbhar Bharat now. It would have happened much earlier,” he said.

Talking about India’s rich tradition of storytelling, PM Modi said that ‘our stories are gaining popularity again.’

“We have had a tradition of storytelling. This is an ancient method of narrating stories. Kathakali Shebam has also been part of this. Different types of folklore are prevalent in our country,” he added.

His address comes at a time when India reported 88,600 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday.

In his earlier address, on 30 August, the prime minister had also given a call to 'team up for toys', aimed at making India a hub for toy production.

(With inputs from IANS)