The backbone of India’s economy and a significant contributor to rural prosperity are Farmers. To honour and appreciate all the responsible farmers for their contributions to society, National Farmers’ Day is celebrated every year on 23 December.
The day is observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mr. Choudhary Charan Singh, India’s fifth Prime Minister.
In this article, you will learn more about the Significance of the day and some interesting facts about Chaudhary Charan Singh’s life.
As UPSC surprises aspirants with questions linked with what usually is assumed to be trivia; it is advisable that one must scroll through the facts about National Farmers’ Day to get the basic information. The topic, if at all asked in the UPSC Prelims, will form the part of the current affairs.
Facts about Kisan Diwas for UPSC Exam
Read the below-mentioned facts about National Farmers’ Day; and aid your IAS Exam preparation along with other competitive exams’ preparation.
| Observed On | 23 December |
|---|---|
| To commemorate | Birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh |
| Chaudhary Charan Singh |
|
The topic can be asked as a Current Affairs Question in IAS Prelims. Visit the attached link to attempt practice quizzes on current affairs.
To read more about the other Important International and National days click on the link. Such days and events become very important for UPSC Prelims.
Read about Agriculture in India in the linked article.
About National Farmers’ Day
- National Farmers’ Day, also known as Rashtriya Kisan Diwas, is popular across India’s agricultural and farming states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh, among others.
- Farmers’ Day is also observed in other parts of the world. It is celebrated on the first Friday of December in Ghana, USA celebrates it on 12 October, in Zambia it is observed on the first Monday of the August and Pakistan started celebrating the day on 18 December from 2019.
Read about the PM FME Scheme that was initiated to develop micro-food processing enterprises.
History of National Farmer’s Day
India is known as a country of villages and agricultural surpluses. Also, almost 50% of the people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods and form the majority of the country’s rural population. In 2001, the tenth government decided to recognise Choudhary Charan Singh’s contribution to the agriculture sector and welfare of farmers by celebrating his birth anniversary as Kisan Diwas. Since then, December 23 has been observed as National Farmers’ Day. This is generally celebrated by organising awareness campaigns and drives across the country to educate people on the role of farmers and their contribution to the economy.
Know in detail about the Mega Food Park Scheme in the linked article.
Significance of National Farmers Day
- Rashtriya Kisan Diwas is observed to recognise the devotion and sacrifice of farmers. To raise awareness among people to ensure farmers’ social and economic well-being.
- The day is used to focus on providing farmers with the most up-to-date agricultural knowledge, to increase their yield.
Learn about the Centrally Sponsored Government schemes to give a boost to the agriculture industry, in the linked article.
About Chaudhary Charan Singh
- Shri Chaudhary Charan Singh was born in 1902 at Noorpur in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh in a peasant family.
- He served as the fifth Prime Minister of India from 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980.
- Coming from an agricultural family, he was a proponent of rural and agricultural development. He made continuous efforts to keep agriculture at the centre of planning for India.
- Key Contribution-
- Formulation and finalisation of the Debt Redemption Bill 1939 was done under his leadership. The aim of the bill was to give relief to the peasantry from moneylenders.
- He was the chief architect of land reforms in U.P.; he took a leading part in formulation and finalisation of the Dept. Redemption Bill 1939, which brought great relief to rural debtors. As Chief Minister he was instrumental in bringing about the Land Holding Act 1960 which was aimed at lowering the ceiling on land holdings to make it uniform throughout the State.
- While serving as agriculture minister in 1952, he led UP in its efforts to abolish the Zamindari system.
- He was the founder of the Kisan Trust, which was a non-political, non-profit-making body, on 23 December 1978. The aim of the trust was to educate India’s rural masses against injustice, and foster solidarity among them.
- He was a believer in simple living. He spent most of his free time reading and writing. Singh published numerous books and booklets during his lifetime. His well-known works are Co-operative Farming X-rayed, India’s Poverty and its Solution and Abolition of Zamindari.
- Shri Charan Singh served Uttar Pradesh in various capacities and won a reputation as a hard taskmaster who would not tolerate inefficiency, nepotism and corruption in administration. A gifted parliamentarian and a pragmatist, Shri Charan Singh is known for his eloquence and courage of conviction.
- A dedicated public worker and staunch believer in social justice, Shri Charan Singh’s strength stemmed essentially from the confidence he enjoyed among millions of peasants.
Note: As UPSC 2023 approaches, use BYJU’S free Daily Video Analysis of The Hindu Newspaper to augment your preparation.
Frequently asked questions about National Farmer’s Day
Which day is National Farmers Day?
How is Farmer’s Day celebrated
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