New Delhi

Ansari calls for debate on agrarian crisis

NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over the unprecedented global hike in the agricultural commodities with an impact on food security for the poor, Vice President M. Hamid Ansari has called for a debate on the agrarian crisis.

Inaugurating the Ministerial Retreat and Special Session of Governing Council of the 14-member Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific here on Tuesday, Mr. Ansari said while macro-economic and globalisation have been debated, price hike in agricultural commodities have remained the penumbra of the shadow of this agrarian crisis.

Pointing out that agrarian reform and rural development issues were inherently political in nature, Mr. Ansari said while economic and social interventions were necessary, they were not enough to bring about the desired outcomes. ``It is, therefore, the duty of the policy makers to ensure that the interaction of politics with policy is constructive and synergistic. “As important personalities influencing policy formulation and implementation, you are well aware that sharing best practices of each other would contribute to promoting rural development and regional cooperation,” he said.

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