Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has dismissed the MSP hike announced by the Centre today as nothing more than a cosmetic measure, which does not address the core concerns of the farming community.In a statement issued here, the Chief Minister said the increase did not meet the state government’s demand for for 50% hike over and above C2 (a comprehensive cost, accounting for the rentals and interest forgone on owned land and fixed capital assets over A2 + FL (which covers the actual paid out costs plus an imputed value of unpaid family labour).The state’s demand was in line with the recommendation and subsequent clarification issued by Dr. Swaminathan on the recommended MSP hike, said the Chief Minister, reiterating his demand for in toto implementation of the MS Swaminathan Commission report.The increase announced by the central government did not meet the expectations of the distressed farming community, nor was it adequate to address the root of the problem, as identified by the Swaminathan Commission, said Captain Amarinder Singh.It will only offer marginal relief to the beleaguered farmers, reeling under huge debts, he added.
Unfortunately, the Centre had also failed to accept the state government’s demand for compensation for paddy residue management, which was a critical necessity in view of the pollution problem, the Chief Minister lamented.Further, he pointed out that there was also no move by the Centre to purchase other crops also at MSP to motivate farmers to diversify away from the water-guzzling paddy crop, said the Chief Minister, adding that failure to do so would have serious ramifications not only for Punjab but for the entire nation in view of the grave ground water crisis it was facing.
If the central government was indeed serious about addressing the problems of the farming community, they would have to go beyond such half-hearted attempts and come out with a comprehensive package, including national debt waiver scheme, the Chief Minister asserted.As a nation, we owe it to our farmers, he said, adding that the farming community deserved a much better deal in exchange of the labours it had been putting in for decades to feed the country and make it food secure.