India is an agricultural country. India lives in villages. The villagers depend on agriculture. They are either farmers or workers on the agricultural fields. Ours industries and urban business also depend on agriculture. Thus, an Indian farmer truly represents India. He can be called the son of the soil. It is on his sweet and labour that our progress and prosperity depend.
It is he who feeds and clothes the people. An Indian farmer is very hard working. He is very busy throughout the year. For him there is no rest. He is engaged in tilling the soil, sowing the seeds, watering the fields, reaping and harvesting the crop and then taking it to the market to sell it. And yet he is very poor. He is being exploited by the money-lenders, the middlemen and the government servants.
His needs are few and simple and yet they are not met. Most of the Indian farmers or tenants. Their exploitation should be stopped. They should be distributed agricultural land. They should be given cheap loans and other facilities. They should be given better seeds, fertilizers and return for their produce. The irrigation facilities should be improved.
India cannot prosper until Indian farmer is poor and miserable. He is the very soul of the country. He is as important as a soldier, a doctor or an engineer. That is why the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri gave us the slogan: "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan." But it should not remain only a slogan. The Indian farmer should be given his due regard and status. Every effort should be made to make him happy, rich and comfortable. His labours and sweat should not go unrewarded.
He should be taught how to read and write. Education should be taken to his door-steps so that his children do not remain illiterate. He should be provided with better medical and health facilities. He is the bread-earner of the country and should be treated accordingly. If he himself remains hungry, illcad or ignorant how India can make progress? Some schemes have been started to improve his economic and social condition. But many more such schemes need to be started.