Singh: Little mercies

New Delhi, Feb. 23: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today promised debt relief to small farmers in the forthcoming budget.

In a reply to the debate on the President's address to Parliament, Singh told the Lok Sabha that agriculture minister Sharad Pawar would come out with a package to deal with the problem of marginal farmers and would consider the idea of giving fertiliser subsidy directly to farmers.

Hinting at a soft petro-pricing policy, Singh stressed the importance of balancing the needs of the consumer and the health of public sector oil companies.

?We have been able to keep prices under check despite unprecedented pressure on account of rising world oil prices. On pricing of petroleum products, we will continue to pursue a judicious policy keeping in mind the needs of the consumer,? the Prime Minister said.

On allowing foreign direct investment in the retail sector, Singh assured his Left allies that he would not take any hasty decision though it would be in the realm of consideration.

?So far, only FDI by single-brand chains has been allowed. This is an extremely narrow category which in any case is present in the country through franchises. The larger issue is FDI in any form of retail. We will examine this issue in all its dimensions, including its effect on livelihoods and discuss this widely before taking any decision. There is no hurry,? the Prime Minister said.

Though the Left has been agitating against FDI in retail, in recent times they have given hints that FDI in some form could be allowed in food.

Singh also assured MPs that the decision to import wheat to shore up depleted grain stocks would not hurt the farming community. ?I must assure the honourable members that the decision to import wheat was taken as a precautionary measure and to ensure that we maintain a minimum level of buffer stock. This decision will benefit consumers without hurting farmers,? he said and added ?we do not need lessons from the NDA on how to care for our farmers!?