Ensure that bonus reaches sub-tenant farmers: Naidu

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday asked the government to study the possibility of ensuring that bonus, if announced on rice or wheat procurement, reaches even the sub-tenant farmers.

Mr Naidu’s comments came after the issue was raised during the Question Hour by Congress’s Chhaya Verma, who said tenant farmers are not getting bonus and sought to know if the Centre will put in place some mechanism to protect such farmers.

Replying to the member’s query, minister of state for food C.R. Chaudhary said, “There is no provision (to transfer bonus to bank accounts of) for sub-tenant farmers.” He also said that if two to three tenant farmers together register one bank account, then payment is distributed proportionately.

Expressing concern over the issue, Mr Naidu asked the food minister Ram Vilas Paswan to take action in this regard.

“This is a practical and sensitive issue, hence you please study on this. You know what happens in villages,” Mr Naidu told Mr Paswan to which he agreed and said that he would be meet the Rajya Sabha chairman in this regard.

To a separate question, the government informed that it is compensating and helping farmers through various programmes including newly launched ‘TOP scheme’ in times of glut production of key vegetables.

Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said his ministry is supporting farmers through schemes like horticulture mission, while the food processing ministry has introduced a new scheme to promote processing of three vegetables — tomato, onion and potato (TOP) — during times of excess output and boost supplies in lean period.

“It is true that sometimes farmers incur losses. The food processing ministry runs the TOP scheme. Now, it will start benefiting the farmers,” said Mr Singh said during the Question Hour in the Upper House.