Every year on December 23, we commemorate Kisan Diwas, also called National Farmers Day, in honor of Shri. Choudhary Charan Singh, the fifth prime minister of India. This day is set aside to remember and honor farmers, who are regarded as the backbone of the country.
History of National Farmers Day
In 2001, the custom of commemorating National Farmer's Day was established. On December 23, 2001, the inaugural National Farmer's Day was observed in this manner.
It was initiated as a way to commemorate the passion that previous Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh had for farming and farmers.
National Farmers Day: Significance
National Farmer's Day events give farmers a forum to discuss their needs and objectives. This is particularly crucial since farmers usually experience cycles of crises that occasionally push them to commit suicide.
Life of Chaudhary Shri Charan Singh
- The last Prime Minister of undivided India, Shri Charan Singh was born on December 26, 1902 in Noorpur which is in the Meerut area of Uttar Pradesh.
- In 1925, he had finished his post graduate studies after passing science in 1923 in Agra University. He was not only well educated but also had a background of legal study, and he opened his practice in Ghaziabad.
- He first came to the seat of power when in 1937 he was elected to the U. P. Legislative Assembly for Chhaprauli. He then represented the constituency in 1946, 1952, 1962 and 1967 elections.
- In 1946, he was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary in state under the government of Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant. He undertook various portfolios in a number of departments of state such as Revenue, Justice, Public Health, Medicine among others.
- He took up the position of the Cabinet Minister in State in June, 1951 and he was given the responsibility of supervising the Departments of Justice and Information.
- He held the portfolio of Home and Agriculture minister during the membership of Shri C. B. Gupta ministry in 1960.
- He was later appointed as the head of the Department of local Self Government in 1966, following his resignation from the Department of Agriculture in 1965.
- His major contribution to the process of change in Uttar Pradesh was his formulations and confirmations of the Department Redemption Bill 1939.
- As a Chief Minister he effectively helped in ensuring the Land Holding Act of 1960 to limit further holdings and make them uniform across the state.
- Chaudhary Charan Singh loved books and writing when he found the time to do so. Abolition of Zamindari, Co-operative Farming, X-rayed, India’s Poverty and its Solution, Peasant Proprietorship or Land to the Workers, and Prevention of Division of Holdings Below a Certain Minimum are some of the books and pamphlets attributed to him.
Major agricultural schemes of the Central Government:
- PM-KISAN: Every farmer, who possesses land, whether or not he has a small or large land area, receives Rs 6,000 annually directly to his bank account from the government in equal three instalments.
- National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: India’s National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture aims at promoting sustainable practices that are suitable for the specific agro-climatic region.
- Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana: The programme has three enlarged components which include the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), Har Khet ko Pani (HKKP) and watershed development.
- Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY): Laid down in the year 2007, the RKVY replaced the Agricultural Development Programme and vested the discretion in the state governments’ hand to decide on the developmental programmes required for agriculture and other related sectors in response to the district/state agriculture plan.
- Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Programme: This programme involves supply of fertilizers to the farmers at the cheap prices depending on the units of nutrient (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium & Sulphur) in the containers.
- Rashtriya Gokul Mission: Since December 2014, this initiative has been in place to promote and preserve native cow breeds.
- Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana: It helps to stabilize farmers' income by offering a complete insurance protection against crop failure.
- Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana: It was introduced in 2015 and is a sophisticated part of the National Mission of Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) project's Soil Health Management (SHM).
- Kisan Credit Card: The programme was launched in 1998 to offer sufficient and prompt credit assistance from the financial system through a single window with flexible and simplified procedures to the farmers.
Conclusion
Observing Farmer's Day contributes to raising public awareness of the value of recognising farmers' contributions to the country's economy. Additionally, it gives farmers a voice to express their requirements and ensure that they are satisfied.
Therefore, the purpose of the day is to raise awareness of how important the farming sector is to raising the national quality of life.
In states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, and others where agriculture is the primary industry, this occasion is cheerfully and enthusiastically observed.