Reiterating that the government is committed to the welfare of farmers, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday informed the Rajya Sabha that a Committee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) will be announced after the Assembly elections in five states.
The Minister made the announcement while replying to a query during Question Hour.
Tomar said the government had written to the Election Commission (EC) regarding the announcement of the Committee on MSP in view of assembly elections in five states.
According to the Minister, the EC has advised that the announcement of the Committee on MSP should be done after the elections in five states are over.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November last year had said that a committee would be set up to discuss the farmers’ demand for legal guarantee on MSP, while announcing the repeal of three farm laws.
“The entire country knows that the Prime Minister has announced the formation of a committee to make crop diversification, natural farming and MSP effective and transparent. The government is committed to the announcement made by the PM. The matter is under consideration of the Ministry and the announcement of the Committee will be done after Assembly polls,” Tomar said.
Elections are scheduled states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab.
Polling for Uttar Pradesh’s 403 Assembly seats would be held over seven phases on February 10, February 14, February 20, February 23, February 27, March 3 and March 7.
Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand will all vote on a single day, February 14. Elections in Manipur will be spread over two phases on February 27 and March 3.
The counting of votes in assembly 70 seats in Uttarakhand, 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 117 in Punjab, 60 in Manipur and 40 in Goa will be done on March 10. (ANI)
