Govt mulls changes in law to make farming more paying: PM

New Delhi: Thinking out of the box to double the farmers’ income, the government is proactively thinking to amend laws which will be beneficial for the country as a whole and farmers as individuals. Addressing a gathering of young Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said, “It is unfortunate that the country’s which is primarily based on agriculture, has to import timber. On the border of the agricultural plots, trees plantation should be done. And we must allow farmers to cut and sell the timber. The government is seized with the idea to bring such a law.” Stating that the Gulf nations were poor in agricultural productivity, “We can produce as per their requirements. In returns, we can access energy from them.” In order to make development a mass movement, the prime minister sought “Meeting of Minds” with the young entrepreneurs so that the living standards of the people could be raised. “Since Independence, all the governments have worked accordingly to take the country forward. But so far, we have not been able to make development a mass movement. I need a team and with “Meeting of Minds”, India can be taken further. The government will play a role of catalyst.” Mr Modi also underlined that the government cannot shun its responsibility of working for a welfare state. He also called for making India a global tourism destination mainly on its strength of its heritage, not by creating artificial means of recreation. Tourism can be great employment generation. “We have so much to offer, you have nowhere to go. We Indians don’t take pride in our rich heritage. If we begin talking about it with pride, the world will be desperate to visit India,” he added. Further, the prime minister invited suggestions and ideas form CEOs and said he wanted to institutionalize this interaction. The Prime Minister called for gifting khadi items on festivals, saying it will help the poor. He also praised the ‘’excellent’’ work done by outgoing NITI Ayog vice chairman, and wished him well in his future assignments.