NATIONAL FARMERS DAY

GS3 – AGRICULTURE 

National Farmers’ Day (Kisan Diwas) was celebrated on 23rd December 2024 to honour farmers and commemorate the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh.

Key Facts about Chaudhary Charan Singh:

Overview:

• Born in 1902 in Noorpur, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, he was a prominent Indian politician and freedom fighter who served as India’s 5th Prime Minister (1979-80).
• He also held positions as Deputy Prime Minister (January-July 1979) and twice as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
• He represented Chhaprauli in the U.P. Legislative Assembly in multiple terms (1937, 1946, 1952, 1962, 1967) and later served as MP for Baghpat.

Key Contributions:

• Agricultural Reforms:
  • Drafted the Debt Redemption Bill (1939) to free peasants from the clutches of moneylenders.
  • Instrumental in the Land Holding Act (1960), which reduced land ceiling limits.
  • Advocated for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system and introduced the Consolidation of Holdings Act (1953) and UP Zamindari and Land Reforms Act (1952), benefiting landless farmers.
  • Proposed the Agricultural Produce Marketing Bill (1938), which laid the foundation for modern agricultural market infrastructure.
• Institutional Development:
  • Elevated the Rural Development Department to a Ministry and was pivotal in establishing NABARD.
  • Championed decentralization, grassroots governance, and local economic autonomy.

Social Contributions:

• A strong advocate of Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent independence movement, he was imprisoned multiple times during the struggle for freedom.
• Supported social justice by opposing caste divisions, promoting inter-caste marriages, and backing quotas for agriculturists’ dependents, aligning with BR Ambedkar’s vision of integrated reforms.
• Authored influential works, including Abolition of Zamindari, Co-operative Farming X-rayed, India’s Poverty and its Solution, Peasant Proprietorship or Land to the Workers, and Prevention of Division of Holdings Below a Certain Minimum.

Legacy and Honors:

• His visionary ideas inspire current initiatives like Doubling Farmers’ Income, MSME promotion, Panchayati Raj, and ethical governance.
• In 2024, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna alongside Karpoori Thakur, MS Swaminathan, PV Narasimha Rao, and LK Advani.
• Lucknow Airport was renamed Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in his honor in 2008.
• His memorial in New Delhi is called Kisan Ghat.
• He passed away on 29th May 1987.