Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday urged farmers to understand the new agricultural laws.

Addressing the state level Annapurna Utsav virtually as the chief guest in Haryana, Singh said he has read the new farm laws and there is no such sentence anywhere in it which is not in the interest of the farmers.

“I am also the son of a farmer and I have also done farming and I can understand the problems of the farmers,” he added.

Singh said due to the old policies, agriculture was becoming a loss-making deal and when the farmer used to sell his crop, it was found that even the cost price was not met.

“That’s why I urge you to understand these laws. If anyone has any doubt in these laws, then the government is always ready to negotiate for its solution. Attempts have been made to mislead the farmers by creating an atmosphere of protest, but gradually the farmers are beginning to understand the truth,” Singh said.

The Union minister said the Annapurna Utsav of Haryana is not just a festival of food distribution, but it is a celebration of the Government’s dedication, cooperation and trust.

The defense minister said accepting the challenge posed by Covid-19 pandemic, the Center took the decision of implementing strict lockdown. At that time many things were said in this regard but the priority of the government was to save the lives of the people first. The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana proved to be very helpful in these very difficult times.

Singh said the land of Haryana is charismatic. Be it a farmer, a jawan or a wrestler, this is the land of brave sons. The land here not only spews gold from the ground but also produces sportspersons who win gold at the Olympics.

The geographical area of Haryana is only 1.5 percent of the entire country, whereas its total contribution to agriculture is 15 percent in the country.  He said that our government has fulfilled what it promised. There is a target of zero hunger by the year 2030 and I have come to know that Haryana has already achieved this target.

Appreciating the state government, the Union defense minister said the Haryana government under the leadership of Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar has done excellent work during the management of Covid-19 pandemic. Be it the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana or the vaccination campaign in the state, the Haryana government has done commendable work.

The state government arranged food grains for 27 lakh families. Apart from this, ration was also distributed in Haryana to 17000 families of other states.