December 23 is observed as the Kisan Divas or National Farmer’s Day in India. The objective of this day is to celebrate farmers and acknowledge their contribution to feeding the nation and its economic development. The country honours former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, who was known as the ‘champion of farmers’, on this day. His birthday is celebrated each year as Kisan Divas. This year we celebrate his 120th birth anniversary.
Singh developed several welfare programmes and regulations to empower farmers during his brief term as prime minister between 1979 and 1980.
The government declared Singh's birthday as Kisan Divas in 2001 in recognition of his outstanding contributions and transformation from farmer to head of state. Kisan Divas is celebrated primarily in India's agricultural and farming states, such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh.
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On this day, numerous events are planned across the nation each year where the farming community gets a platform to express their needs and goals. The most recent innovations in science and technology are presented by agricultural scientists to help farmers maximise their productivity. The government also helps farmers by holding competitions and giving awards to the winners.
Singh implemented land reforms that transformed Uttar Pradesh's agriculture. He proposed the Debt Redemption Bill in 1939, which freed farmers from the clutches of moneylenders. Some of his policies significantly contributed to India's self-sufficiency in agricultural production. Singh, the primary author of the UP Zamindari Abolition Act, wrote books on zamindari abolition, land reform, and the establishment of an economically self-sufficient peasantry in UP.
On December 23, 1978, he established the Kisan Trust, a non-political, non-profit organisation, with the goal of educating India's rural masses about injustice and inducing solidarity among them.
Kishan Ghat memorial in New Delhi has also been constructed to honour his achievements.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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