Mumbai: Midway into the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the agenda of setting up of a whopping two lakh cooperative societies in his next term in office in what would give a major thrust to the economy of India’s rural landscape.
“We are expanding the cooperative movement across the nation's rural landscape. Recognising its importance, a separate Ministry for Cooperation was established in 2019, aiming to form 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), of which 8,000 are already operational. The government aims to establish 2 lakh cooperative societies in the next 5 years,” PM Modi said on Tuesday.
During the day, PM Modi addressed three rallies in Maharashtra’s Madha, Osmanabad and Latur constituencies, which would go to polls during the Phase-3 of the general elections.
“Maharashtra, known for its spirit of cooperation, has seen remarkable contributions from its sugar cooperatives in empowering farmers,” said Modi.
Lashing out at the Congress, Modi said, “Your love is my wealth. In the last decade, Modi has dedicated every particle of his being and every moment of his time to serving you."
"Today, the people of Maharashtra witness the stark difference between 10 years of Modi government and 60 years of Congress rule. What Congress couldn't achieve in 60 years, Modi has accomplished in 10 years. While Congress promised to eradicate poverty for 60 years, Modi has lifted 25 crore people out of poverty in just a decade.”
On the agrarian distress, the Prime Minister expressed his dismay over the Congress's failure to improve their lives.
“For years, the people of Vidarbha and Marathwada have suffered from the agonizing scarcity of water. Despite 60 years of Congress rule, basic needs like water remained unmet."
PM Modi said, "In 2014, 99 long-pending irrigation schemes, 26 of which were from Maharashtra, were finally addressed after decades of neglect. Today, out of the 99 irrigation projects initiated by the Congress, 63 projects have been completed.”
Reflecting on the plight of farmers before his government and offering hope, Modi said, “Small farmers often struggle due to inadequate storage facilities, forcing them to sell their produce at lower prices. To address this, we've initiated the world's largest grain storage scheme, with cooperative institutions taking the lead. This will allow farmers to sell their produce at their convenience. In the next 5 years, special storage clusters will be established across the country, benefiting onion farmers in Maharashtra.”
“Farmers in Maharashtra have received Rs 32,000 crores under various schemes. Our sugar mills have faced Income Tax issues and legal battles since the 90s. Despite efforts during my tenure as Gujarat's CM, the problem persisted until 2014."
"The NDA government, under Modi's leadership, provided a solution, granting Rs 10,000 crores in relief to cooperative sugar mills, waiving old income tax demands, and resolving legal matters. This benefited sugarcane farmers immensely,” PM Modi said.
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