Kisan Diwas: Recognising the Contribution of the Farmer Community in Nation Building

India celebrates Farmers' Day or Kisan Diwas every year on December 23. The day is also marked to celebrate the birth anniversary of the fifth Prime Minister of India, Chaudhary Charan Singh. He started as a humble farmer and then went on to become the Prime Minister of India.

In 2001, to honour this journey from being a farmer to becoming a head of state, the government of India decided to celebrate Charan Singh's birth anniversary as the Kisan Diwas. Farmers are the backbone of our country's economy and they are honoured on this day for their valuable contribution to the overall socio-economic development of the nation.

Charan Singh: A Journey from a Peasant Family to Heading the Country

Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi to Join the Freedom Struggle

Chaudhary Charan Singh was born in 1902 in a middle-class peasant family at Noorpur in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. He was graduated in science in 1923 and he later completed post-graduation from Agra University in 1925.

Charan Singh was also trained in law and set up practice at Ghaziabad. He shifted to Meerut in 1929. In his initial days, under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi, Charan Singh joined the freedom struggle as a politician.

Elected to the Legislative Assembly from Chhaprauli

In 1937, Charan Singh was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh from Chhaprauli and represented this constituency for many more years. In 1946, Charan Singh became Parliamentary Secretary in Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant's government and worked in various departments such as Revenue and Medical and Public Health.

Appointed as Cabinet Minister of Uttar Pradesh

In June 1951, he was appointed as Cabinet Minister of Uttar Pradesh and was given the charge of the Departments of Justice and Information. Later, in 1952, Charan Singh was made the Minister for Revenue and Agriculture in the Cabinet of Dr. Sampurnanand. Charan Singh resigned in April 1959, at that time he was heading the Department of Revenue and Transport.

In 1960, under C.B. Gupta's Ministry, Charan Singh was made the Minister for Home and Agriculture. In Smt. Sucheta Kripalani's Ministry, Charan Singh served as the Minister for Agriculture and Forests in 1962-1963. But he gave up the Department of Agriculture in 1965 and took the charge of the Local Self-Government department in 1966.

Occupied the Office of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh

After the split in Congress, Charan Singh became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second time in February 1970 with the support from the Congress Party. However, later on October 2, 1970, President's rule was imposed in Uttar Pradesh. Charan Singh was from the powerful Jat community and was having strong support base in Western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Assumed the Chair of the Deputy Prime Minister of India

After leading Bhartiya Lok Dal, he was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister of India in 1977. Later, Charan Singh was forced to leave the governing wing of the Bhartiya Lok Dal due to some problems within in the government.

Appointed as the Fifth Prime Minister of India

However, Charan Singh proved his abilities and with the support of 64 MPs when he was sworn in as the fifth Prime Minister of India in 1979. Charan Singh led the country for just a few months only and he was forced to resign as Prime Minister as a consequence of withdrawal of support from the allied parties.

Charan Singh continued to lead the Lok Dal till his last breath. He passed away on May 29, 1987. Paying rich tributes to Charan Singh for his association with the agricultural community, a memorial was built for him in New Delhi which is called the Kisan Ghat.

Worked for the Upliftment of Farmers Through Various Reforms and Government Support

From pre-independence to post-independence, Charan Singh was instrumental in developing and shaping the agricultural sector of India. He promoted and helped in passing various bills for farmers' reforms.

During his tenure as Prime Minister of India, he embarked on a mission for the betterment and welfare of Indian farmers. He introduced many schemes for the upliftment and to improve the social status of farmers.

Charan Singh was a hard taskmaster and would never tolerate inefficiency and corruption in his administration. In Uttar Pradesh, he introduced various land reforms and formulated and finalised the Debt Redemption Bill in 1939 to free the farmers from the clutches of moneylenders.

As Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, he brought the Land Holding Act, 1960, which ensured lowering the ceiling on land holdings to make it uniform across the state.

Authored Many Books to Promote the Peasant Community

Chaudhary Charan Singh spent his spare time in reading and writing. He was the author of several books, including 'Abolition of Zamindari', 'India's Poverty and its Solution', 'Co-operative Farming X-rayed', 'Prevention of Division of Holdings Below a Certain Minimum' and 'Peasant Proprietorship or Land to the Workers'.

Recognition by Government of the Role Played by the Farmer for Socio-Economic Development

Across the country, several programs are arranged on the occasion of Kisan Diwas. These programmes and events provide the farmer community an opportunity to discuss their problems and demands.

Experts in the agricultural field promote their latest technology that will help farmers to increase their agricultural production. The government on its part distributes various awards and recognise their contribution to the development of the nation.