Both the Houses of Parliament adjourned on FDI
FDI in the interests of farmers: Pawar
Both
the Houses of Parliament were adjourned on the issue of Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) and other issues on the opening day today of the Winter
Session. The Rajya Sabha, which witnessed two adjournments, was finally
adjourned for the day as BSP members trooped into the well demanding
reservation in promotions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The
Lok Sabha was adjourned at 2 PM after witnessing two adjournments
earlier. Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj pressed for a discussion on
FDI under a rule that entails voting saying that the government has not
honoured its assurances. She said a vote on the issue will show that the
people of the country are against the move as it affects smaller
traders. Earlier, the Lok Sabha rejected a move by Trinamool Congress
to bring a No-Confidence motion against the government on FDI. The
motion moved by TMC leader Sudip Bandopadhyaya was disallowed by Speaker
Meira Kumar after putting it to vote by the House. The move fell as the
party could not muster the requisite support of members in the House.
The fears that the FDI in multi brand retail would badly affect interests of the small shopkeepers and traders were unfounded, Pawar told reporters after inaugurating the seventh national conference on "Krishi Vigyan Kendras2012" in the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) premises in Ludhiana.
"The FDI in retail is in the interest of the farmers and the consumers across the country," he said.
On the trend of paddy-wheat cycle in Punjab, he said it was not only was affecting fertility of the agricultural land, but was also causing depletion of underground water in the state.
Pawar said discussion had been held with Punjab government on the need to change this cycle and he would also discuss the issue with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
He said the Punjab government should look at bringing more area under the cultivation of oil seeds and pulses.
The Minister said the Centres main focus was to bring a second revolution by encouraging maximum paddy cultivation in Eastern parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
Replying to a question, he said the MSP on wheat was likely to be announced within a week.
On the issue of storage of food grains, Pawar said the Centre was working towards increasing storage capacity of food grains by setting up more godowns.
He said higher land prices in Punjab and Maharashtra were becoming obstacles in this regard.
Earlier, during his inaugural speech at the three-day conference, Pawar lauded the role played by PAU and the Punjab farmers for enhancing agriculture production in the country.
He praised the role of Krishi Vigyan Kendras in the country while stating t
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