Senior BJP leader and former minister Choudhary Sukhnandan Kumar has appealed to Central Government for the revival of Cooperatives in Jammu and Kashmir and one-time scheme for loan waiver for the Jammu based farmers pending since 1987 and also demanded no GST for farmers on purchases related to cultivation and other agriculture related activities in entire country.
Speaking to the media persons at J&K BJP Headquarters in Jammu, the former minister Ch Sukhnandan Kumar said, “A delegation of Jammu based farmers led by me met with Union Minister Anurag Thakur at New Delhi and apprised him about our genuine demands.”
The demands include Revival of Cooperatives in Jammu and Kashmir and loan waiver for the Jammu based farmers pending since 1987 and no GST for farmers on purchases related to cultivation and other agriculture related activities in entire country.
As our worthy Prime Minister Narendra Bhai Modi also admitted that “Without farmers, no country can progress”, so we the farmers of Jammu region brought two very important issues in the kind notice of central government.”
“We wanted to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah but as he was busy we met with Union Minister Anurag Thakur and he assured us that our demands will be considered for the welfare of the farmers,” said senior BJP leader Sukhnandan Kumar.
In Jammu region, the cooperative system failed as the government during the V P Singh regime accepted to waive off the loans but the loans were waived only upto Kharief Crop 1986 and not for the corresponding year due to some misinformation and misunderstanding which led to ultimate closure of cooperative shops, in rural areas which supplies agriculture related seed, urea and fertilizers other related items making the farmers to face hardships in procuring all these items from the distances places which involves lots of financial burden despite the other logistic issues.
There were 376 multi-purpose and primary cooperative societies. And automatically they were shut off and all farmers had turned defaulters, Sukhanandan said, adding “the loan in Jammu province must be around Rs 19 Crore and its interest around Rs 30 Crore. We the central government to kindly resolve this issue once so the cooperative system can be revived here and farmers can work with more zeal and enthusiasm.”
“This will not only boost the morale of young farmer but also make this availability of seed and fertilizers at the door steps of the farmers, otherwise the heavy prices in the open market and the black marketing of the fertilizers have broken the farmers spine to procure agriculture related products. In result of this, the collection of yield was also stopped, ” Sukhnandan said.
Moreover, cooperatives help build sustainable communities in rural areas. The role of cooperatives in agricultural development is numerous. Cooperated growers enter a bigger market to sell their goods and buy input supplies at lower prices. More opportunities mean better economical development and the rural population’s welfare, the former BJP minister said.
The second demand for farmers is the waiver of GST on the items related to agriculture for the farmers in the entire country, Sukhnandan saod, adding “As the finance ministry has clarified that renting or leasing of land by farmers for agriculture, forestry, fishing or animal husbandry is exempt from the GST, we demand the 100 per cent waiver of GST on agriculture related items procured from the market.”
