PM Narendra Modi's 'Swamitva Yojna' will empower villagers: MP minister

Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel on Monday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching the 'Swamitva Yojna', saying it will change the face of the rural sector and empower villagers.

On the Panchayati Raj Diwas on April 24, the prime minister launched the 'Swamitva Yojna', or the ownership scheme, to map residential land ownership in the rural sector with the help of modern technology like drones.

Patel said despite the country getting Independence 70 years back, there was still a "big divide between the urban and rural areas" in terms of economic empowerment.

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Though people in rural areas have houses or shops on their plots, they cannot avail loan against the property because of the "complicated web of rules", he said.

"The 'Swamitva Yojna' launched by Modiji will grant real freedom to people in rural areas in terms of economic empowerment, as it will ensure that financial institutions now grant them loans for construction of their own pucca houses and shops, Patel told PTI.

He alleged that the earlier governments deprived people of this basic facility, which resulted in the huge urban-rural divide.

"The new scheme will fulfil the dream of Mahatma Gandhi in real sense, as it will lead to economic empowerment of villages and also check migration of labourers to other parts of the country," the BJP leader said.

Earlier, unlike the urban population, rural folks were unable to get loans or bail from the court on the surety of their houses in villages, but now, with the launch of this scheme, the prime minister has bridged this wide gap between urban and rural areas, he said.

Asked about a similar scheme launched by Patel in his earlier stint as the state revenue minister in 2008, he said, "We had implemented this scheme that time in the name of Mukhyamantri Gramin Awas Adhikar Pustika' and it empowered a lot of people in my home district Harda."

Patel, however, had later quit as a state minister.

He said the present scheme is on similar lines and it will benefit the entire rural hinterland of the country.

"It will prove to be a game-changer in rural areas and generate a lot of employment opportunities for the rural youth, as financial institutions now will provide them loans for their houses and shops situated on their own land," the minister said.

He also urged the rural masses to take maximum benefit of the new scheme for empowering themselves economically.

Patel alleged that the previous Congress government in the state cheated farmers in the name of loan waiver scheme.

The minister said he has asked farmers to file FIRs in police stations against former chief minister Kamal Nath over the issue.

"With an aim to dislodge the BJP government, the Congress had made tall promises but after coming to power, it did nothing for their benefit," he alleged.

Referring to problems being faced by farmers in selling their crops because of the coronavirus crisis, Patel said he has issued directives to procure crops directly from the farms as far as possible.

"Besides, I have also issued orders to discontinue the Tulavati Parchi (a kind of middleman system to weigh the crop quantity and issue receipt for it) to minimise hurdles in the procurement system, so that farmers get the maximum benefit of their crops, he said.

Patel also said that the suggestion of BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and some MLAs on raising the limit of purchase of gram and mustard crops up to 20 quintal following bumper yield, will be implemented as it will benefit the farmers.