Kisan Diwas 2021: Why India observes National Farmers' Day on December 23

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On the occasion of the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh which is celebrated as National Farmers' Day (Kisan Diwas), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday extended his greetings to the farmers of the country. Rajnath Singh called the former Prime Minister "a top leader of farmers" who contributed to the development journey of India and worked lifelong for the empowerment of weaker sections of the society.

The Defence Minister tweeted, "The birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh ji is celebrated as 'Farmer's Day' all over India. Hearty congratulations to all the farmers. Congratulations to the farmers who have created crops in the field and happiness in the country with their hard work. The government of PM Shri @narendramodi is fully dedicated for the welfare of farmers."

"I bow to the former Prime Minister of the country and the top leader of farmers, Chaudhary Charan Singhji on his birth anniversary. He contributed to the development journey of India and worked lifelong for the empowerment of the weaker sections of the society. He has also played an effective role in strengthening democracy in the country," added the Union Minister.

Why India observes National Farmers' Day on December 23

India observes National Farmers Day or Kisan Divas on December 23 every year to mark the birth anniversary of fifth Prime Minister Choudhary Charan Singh. Choudhary Charan Singh, regarded as a farmer's leader, introduced many policies to improve their lives. He was born in Noorpur of Uttar Pradesh's Hapur. He served as the Prime Minister of India between July 28, 1979 and January 14, 1980. People refer to him as the 'champion of India's peasants. The government had in 2001 decided to mark Charan Singh's birth anniversary as Kisan Diwas.

Charan Singh entered politics as part of the Independence movement motivated by Mahatma Gandhi. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces in 1937. He took a keen interest in the laws that were detrimental to the village economy. He is credited for playing an important role in bringing the issues of small and marginal farmers to the forefront. 

Charan Singh became notable in Uttar Pradesh from the 1950s after he drafted and ensured the passage of revolutionary land reform laws. It was in 1959 when he first opposed then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's "socialistic and collectivist land policies". He defected from Congress in 1967 and sided with the opposition. He also became the first non-Congress Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1967 and later in 1970.

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