Farmers Movement Archive

‘MSP is here to stay’

The minimum support price (MSP) for crops is not going anywhere and the NDA government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is committed to implement it with all sincerity across the country, asserted Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy on Monday. “Wherever the market price for the agriculture produce is less, the government will intervene with MSP. Let there be no doubt about it. I appeal to the farming community not to fall prey to negative propaganda unleashed by the Opposition parties because the Modi government has provided most funds towards agriculture and allied activities,” he claimed. Addressing a press conference held in the party office, Mr. Reddy stated that the Centre has brought forth ‘revolutionary landmark farm bills’ in Parliament and this was conforming to what almost all the other parties wanted to do to “unshackle” the farmers and allowing them to sell their produce freely without being restricted by the market committees or being “duped” by the middlemen. “All the parties agitating against the new Agriculture Acts are only supporting the established middlemen. No real farmer, who has understood the intent behind the new Acts, is taking part in any of the protest programmes from Punjab to Telangana as it is only meant to bring more investment into the agriculture sector,” he claimed.The Minister questioned the Congress Party’s commitment to the farmers claiming its manifesto wanted to take up the same kind of initiatives taken up by the Modi government. “These are especially beneficial for the small and marginal farmers constituting the majority,” he said. The Congress-led governments never took up the Dr.Swaminathan Committee recommendations to improve the agriculture incomes and operations, he said and reeled out statistics to buttress his point about enhanced budgetary support from the NDA government from 42% to 120% in MSP for various crops from paddy to wheat, bajra, maize, ragi and so on. “Modi government had spent Rs. 7 lakh crore on MSP, double of what the previous Congress led UPA government did,” he claimed. The Opposition was welcome to come up with constructive ideas for taking up implementation of new education policy, finance bills, farmers bills or even the labour code, he appealed.

The Hindu

2020-10-06

HYDERABAD,TELANGANA