The three-day Kisan Swaraj Sammelan, which concluded here on Sunday, has called for an income guarantee scheme for farmers. The meeting, attended by farmers’ representatives and non-governmental organisations, from 25 States in the country, demanded that the Union government must bring out an Act to ensure minimum incomes for farmers.

In a declaration announced at the end of the three day convention, the conference called for enactment of a Farmers’ Income Guarantee Act that ensures dignified life to farmers and their kin.

It also demanded an Income Commission for farmers on the lines of Pay Commission appointed periodically to revise salaries of government employees.

The declaration also asked the government to come out with timely relief and offer insurance to protect the interests of farmers in times of natural calamities. “We demand a comprehensive revamp of the Bima Yojana making individual farms as assessment units and covering all risks including wild animal attacks,” it said.

“There should be an automatic re-scheduling of bank loans in times of distress,” it said.

The conference demanded immediate halt to acquisition of land, particularly of farmers and adivasis, for “infrastructure and industrial development”.

“Primacy of prior informed consent of Gram Sabhas should be upheld in all cases. We oppose the dilution in rules and bypassing of the 2013 Act through Government Orders and methods such as Land Pooling. No land acquisition should take place from assigned landholders,” it said.

The conference also wanted the government to protect the interests of tenant farmers by recognising their rights. “Tenant farmers, sharecroppers and women farmers are the worst affected in the agrarian crisis because they are left out of all the government support systems including low-interest bank loans, disaster relief and crop insurance,” the Declaration said.

While demanding the government to phase out agri-chemicals in a time-bound commitment and stop environmental release of genetically-modified organisms. “The government should put an immediate halt to the processing of the application for commercialization of GM mustard,” it said.

The conference was organised by Medha Patkar (National Alliance for People’s Movements), Vijoo Krishnan (All-India Kisan Sabha), V Rukmini Rao (Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch), Devinder Sharma (agricultural economist) and Kodandaram (Telangana Raithu Joint Action Committee) were among those who addressed the valedictory session.

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