Centre asks farmers to name representatives for MSP committee
The Hindu
Formal written communication yet to be received, says Samyukt Kisan Morcha
Moving forward on the Prime Minister’s promise to set up a committee to discuss minimum support prices (MSP) for crops among other issues, the Centre has informally asked protesting farm unions to suggest five names to be part of the panel. However, the leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a joint platform of the unions, say no formal written communication has yet been received.
The move came a day after Parliament repealed the three contentious farm reform laws as had been demanded by the protesting unions. Their other key demand is for a legal guarantee that all farmers will receive remunerative prices, one and a half times the comprehensive cost of production, for all their crops.
On November 19, the Prime Minister said a committee would be formed “to promote zero budgeting based agriculture, to change crop pattern as per the changing needs of the country and to make MSP more effective and transparent”, with representatives from State and Central Governments, farmers, agricultural scientists and economists.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.