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Siraj Hussain
Mr. Siraj Hussain joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1979 and has served the Government of Uttar Pradesh in various capacities including District Magistrate, Managing Director, State Industrial Development Corporation, Registrar of Cooperative Societies, and Secretary to Chief Minister.
In the Government of India, he has worked as Joint Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution and Chairman and Managing Director of Food Corporation of India (FCI). He was posted as Union Secretary in the Ministries of Food Processing Industries and Agriculture. Several schemes of the first Modi government were formulated under his supervision as Secretary, Agriculture.
Since his superannuation in January 2016, he has been working with Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) as Visiting Senior Fellow where he is engaged in research on various aspects of Indian agriculture and food processing. He has authored several research papers on agriculture and rural economy and his columns have been published in several newspapers and online portals.
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Budget 2021-22: Agriculture, procurement, and food security
Discussing agriculture, procurement, and food security in the context of the 2021-22 Budget, Hussain and Mohapatra contend that reforms affecting millions of farmers can only be achieved by preparing a 10-year roadmap in consultation with the states and other stakeholders.
Need for 10-year, state-wise procurement plan for rice and wheat
Against the backdrop of the ongoing debate around India’s new farm legislations, Hussain and Mohapatra make a case for having a 10-year plan indicating the targetted procurement of rice and wheat from each state, in order to reduce uncertainty caused by excessive production and procurement. Further, they argue that while there is a pressing need to incentivise greater production of protein-rich pulses and oilseeds, these laws are unlikely to achieve this objective.
कृषि कानून: सकारात्मक परिणामों के लिए क्षमतावान
सिराज हुसैन का तर्क है कि यद्यपि कृषि कानून भारतीय कृषि के लिए मध्यम-से-लंबी अवधि में लाभकारी हो सकते हैं परंतु यदि उन्हें पारित कराने के लिए संसदीय प्रक्रियाओं का पालन किए जाता और आम सहमति बनाने के प्रयास किए जाते तो उनके उद्देश्यों में और अधिक विश्वास पैदा हुआ होता।
Farm laws: Potential for positive outcomes
Siraj Hussain contends that while the farm laws may have medium- to long-term benefits for Indian agriculture, following parliamentary processes for their passage and efforts to build consensus would have inspired more confidence in their objectives.