KATHUA: Refuting the false rumours that the farmers will lose the ownership of their land, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said today that not the farmers but the farm grabbers may lose land which has been illegitimately taken away from the farmer.Participating in a special programme of Kisan Samman Nidhi digitally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Panchayat Nagrota, Block Barnoti, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that even in Kathua district, misgivings were sought to be spread that the ownership and registry papers of the farmers will be cancelled as per the new law. He said, these misgivings and lies are being spread precisely by those who have over the years illegally or forcibly taken away the land from innocent farmers and built their mansions or commercial establishments on it.Instead of there being any threat to farmer’s land, Dr Jitendra Singh clarified that on the contrary, action has been initiated to retrieve the agricultural land unauthorisedly occupied by non-farmers so that it could be restored back for agricultural purposes. The action initiated against Roshni scam and other land scams recently is actually meant to restore back to the farmers the ownership rights of this land, he said.Dr. Jitendra Singh recalled that ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over in 2014, this government has, one after the other, taken a series of path-breaking decisions for the benefit of farmers. These, he said, included Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Neem coated urea, Soil Health Card and PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi in which Rs.18000 crore was deposited today.Dr. Jitendra Singh described the New Farm Laws as democratisation of the agricultural sector and living up to the concept of One Nation- One Agriculture Market. He said, the young modern agricultural technocrat of today will now have the freedom to choose the buyer for his produce from wherever he wants and at the same time to go for the best price available from wherever it is.Jammu & Kashmir, said Dr. Jitendra Singh, is known for its progressive agriculture sector. There is no arrangement of Mandis here but even in other parts of the country, the existing APMC Mandis are not going to be abolished as is being rumoured in certain quarters.The recently concluded District Development Council elections in which farmers living in the Panchayats across Jammu & Kashmir participated have also endorsed the pro-farmer policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Dr Jitendra Singh.
