Amarinder Singh rejects Centre’s Rs 85 hike in MSP of wheat

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday rejected the hike of Rs 85 per quintal hike in the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat announced by the Centre.
Terming the increase in wheat’s MSP as a mere cosmetic measure that only paid lip service to the needs of the farmers, Chief Minister Singh: “The hike was insufficient to provide even interim relief to the beleaguered farming community, leave alone to address their long-term concerns.” In a statement, the Chief Minister also flayed the Central government over its failure to announce the bonus of Rs 100 per quintal, which Punjab had been demanding for post-harvest management of stubble for long.
“This showed the total lack of concern on the part of the BJP’s Central government for the welfare of the farmers, who were living in a pitiable condition, with many of them driven to suicide across the nation,” he said.
The Chief Minister pointed out that the latest MSP hike for wheat did not meet the state government’s demand for 50 per cent 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 increase announced by Centre 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 Singh.