Shivraj’s path will not be easy

He has become the Agriculture Minister but appeasing the farmers will remain a big challenge

From Newsbuddy Desk

Bhopal: Senior BJP leader and four-time former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan has made his national debut as the Union Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in the new Cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 65-year-old leader, popularly known as “Mama” (maternal uncle) and “Paav-Paav Wale Bhaiya”, on Sunday took oath as a member of the Prime Minister’s Council of Ministers, marking a significant milestone in his political career spanning over three decades. With his vast experience in governance and deep connect with the rural population, Chouhan’s appointment as the Union Agriculture Minister is expected to give new impetus to the government’s efforts in addressing the challenges faced by the agriculture sector and the farming community.

Chouhan, who through hard work built an image of a grassroots leader and associated himself with the socio-economic concerns of farmers, villagers, women and children in Madhya Pradesh, has become a minister at the Centre after being denied the chief minister’s post for the fifth time, proving his detractors wrong. Dismissing claims of being sidelined, the BJP leader won the Vidisha Lok Sabha seat for an impressive sixth time by a record margin of 821,000 votes. His inclusion in the Union Cabinet was widely expected after Prime Minister Modi praised him at a rally in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, acknowledging his contribution and popularity. However, he will face many big challenges.
During the first two terms of the Modi government, the Union agriculture ministry was manned by relatively low-profile individuals: Radha Mohan Singh, Narendra Singh Tomar and Arjun Munda. This was in contrast to the previous UPA government, in which Sharad Pawar was the agriculture minister. In the past too, the agriculture portfolio was held by powerful people – from C. Subrahmanyam and Jagjivan Ram to Rao Birendra Singh, Chaudhary Devi Lal and Balram Jakhar. Chouhan taking over is expected to raise the policy profile of the sector, which accounts for about 18 per cent of India’s gross value added at current prices and 46 per cent of its employed labour force.

Shivraj’s challenges in the agriculture ministry

Indian agriculture is facing challenges such as climate change, declining public investment in research, extension and irrigation, and declining interest of the private sector due to withdrawal of control, whether on pricing of inputs (fertilisers and seeds), technology (especially the release of biotech crops), which Shivraj will have to deal with.

Under Chouhan’s leadership, Madhya Pradesh emerged out of the BIMARU state. It also performed tremendously in the field of agriculture. Whether it was Manmohan Singh’s government or Narendra Modi’s government, Madhya Pradesh was awarded the prize in the field of agriculture during both. Shivraj tried to increase the production in the state. At the same time, he was also successful in taking the farmers along. Shivraj’s leadership brought agricultural revolution in Madhya Pradesh, which helped in the development of the state. Earlier the state used to suffer from drought. But Shivraj transformed it into a green state.