News Politics National Farmers' suicides a national agony, says Modi

Farmers' suicides a national agony, says Modi

Yavatmal/Wardha (Maharashtra): BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Thursday interacted via video conferencing with around 1,500 farmers from across the country, and said farmers committing suicide after being hit by natural calamities or economic crises

Modi said soyabean can become an important weapon in India's fight against malnutrition if it can reach the masses.

"Nowadays, a lot of soya products are available, and soya milk is becoming increasingly popular," he said.

Modi said it was "irresponsible" on part of the government as to how foodgrains were rotting or are destroyed in floods, even as the country grapples with hunger.

"We have no real-time data on agriculture in the country, which can be possible with the latest satellite technology. This will enable movement of foodgrain from one deficit area to another and prevent wastage.

Goods trains must have a dedicated department for transporting agri-products on priority," he said.