Modi govt 'callously neglecting' Maharashtra's onion farmers, alleges Congress

The Congress on Saturday accused the Narendra Modi government of callously neglecting Maharashtras onion farmers reeling due to the ban on onion exports and said its manifesto promises a predictable importexport policy to prevent such catastrophic lastminute policies being imposed on farmersCongress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Modi ahead of his rally in KolhapurWhy has the Modi Sarkar jeopardised Rs 50000 crores of investment in Kolhapur Why have red category Modani projects been approved in ecologically sensitive areas Why has the export ban only been lifted on Gujarats white onions Ramesh said on XThe Modi governments decision to prohibit ethanol production from sugarcane juice and syrup is likely to jeopardise Rs 50000 crores worth of investments in Kolhapurs sugar industry he saidIn the Maharashtra assembly the BJPs own alliance partner Ajit Pawar highlighted that The industries have taken 9537 loan after encouragement from the central government to achieve 2037 ethanol blending The industry is going to face unimaginable losses due to this prohibition Ramesh saidHe said this adhoc decision will not only hurt sugar mills but sugarcane farmers as well who were receiving an additional Rs 100150 per tonne from ethanol productionThe sudden implementation of this new rule is therefore causing massive disruptions throughout the sugar industry in Kolhapur Why has the PM dealt this sudden blow to sugarcane farmers and mills What is his vision to help them recover from it Ramesh saidHe further said that in November 2023 a major advisor to Adani Green Energy Limited AGEL was appointed to one of the Modi governments Expert Appraisal Committees EAC which approves proposals for hydroelectricity projects like those made by AGELSoon after in December 2023 residents of more than a hundred villages in Kolhapur rose up in protest against AGELs 7000 crore Patgaon Pumped Storage Project he saidSince Kolhapur had been struggling with low rainfall and limited availability of water and no public meetings had been held before the project was granted permission locals were concerned about the impact the project would have on the worsening water situation he saidWorryingly this is just one of three Adani projects that have received approval in ecologically sensitive areas of the Western ghats According to experts environment ministry officials have selectively interpreted the law to allow these red category projects in sensitive areas Ramesh saidAdanis own environmental evaluations warned of significant damage to forests during construction but the projects were approved anyway The BJPs brazen manipulation of the legal process clearly has severe repercussions for local communities and the local environment he saidWhy has the PM again put his corporate cronies interests ahead of the wellbeing of Indias people and forests Ramesh askedSince December 2023 Maharashtras onion farmers have been reeling from the Modi Sarkars ban on onion exports During the cultivation season the state was hit with unsatisfactory rainfall and water crises and most farmers were only able to produce 5037 of their usual crop he saidWhen onions were finally harvested farmers were faced with an arbitrary export ban which led to devastatingly low sale prices Ramesh pointed outAs a result farmers have racked up significant losses in the last five months To add insult to injury yesterday the Modi Sarkar allowed the export of white onions which are primarily grown in Gujarat Maharashtrian farmers who primarily grow red onions have been left out he saidCan PM Modi explain why his government is playing favourites Why have they so callously neglected Maharashtras onion farmers he saidThe Congress Nyay Patra promises a stable predictable importexport policy to prevent such catastrophic lastminute policies being imposed on farmers he saidWhat is the Modi Sarkars vision to assure farmers of policy stability he said and asked the prime minister to break his silence on these issues