Serving Farmers and Saving Farming, Jai Kisan: Revised Draft National Policy for Farmers

The eight-member National Commission on Farmers (NCF), chaired by Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, was set up in 2004 by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to assess the extent of India’s agrarian crisis. The Commission had 37 formal meetings between 2004 and 2006 as well as technical consultations with individuals, groups and government officials in various parts of the country. It produced five reports (the fifth of these in two volumes) and presented two drafts of the National Policy for Farmers to the government. The first draft policy was discussed widely with central and state government departments, farmers, farmers’ organisations, tribal families, women’s groups, academia, civil society bodies, political parties, panchayat institutions, mass media representatives and individuals. Based on these discussions, the revised draft policy was prepared. The aim of this revised draft policy was to stimulate action and assess agricultural progress in terms of the incomes of farm families – not the quantity of farm commodities produced...