Shivraj Singh Chouhan In Rajya Sabha: Speaking on the issue of farmers in Rajya Sabha, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan fiercely targeted the Congress and the UPA government. He alleged that the UPA government refused to accept the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. Showing the cabinet note, he said, “In the report of Swaminathan Committee, it was said that the support price should be declared by giving 50 percent profit on the cost, but the UPA government rejected it.”
‘Opposition does politics in the name of farmers’
Ramji Lal Suman of Samajwadi Party (SP) had asked a question in the Rajya Sabha whether the Central Government will bring a law to provide legal guarantee to MSP in this current session. Responding to this, the Agriculture Minister lashed out at the UPA government. He accused the opposition parties of doing politics in the name of farmers.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “Under the leadership of PM Modi, we will leave no stone unturned in making farming a profitable business and doubling the income of farmers. We will work day and night. We have taken many important decisions in the interest of farmers and will continue to do so in the future as well.”
MSP committee mentioned
During the last term, the Modi government had formed the MSP committee after a year-long agitation by farmers to make the MSP system effective. Regarding this, the Agriculture Minister said, “This committee was formed with a specific objective. It is to ensure MSP for farmers.”
‘UPA rejected the recommendation of Swaminathan Commission’
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “Sharad Pawar, who was a minister in the then government, said that the government fixes MSP based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). Therefore, it is necessary to recognize that there can be no internal relationship between the cost of production and MSP.”
“In 2010, the UPA government rejected this key recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission citing counter-productivity and argued that it would distort the market,” the Agriculture Minister said.