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Former Union Minister and SAD’s MP from Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Sunday urged the Union Agriculture Minister Narinder Singh Tomar to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for agriculture crops on the cost plus 50 per cent profit formula suggested by the Swaminathan Commission.
She also asked the Union Minister to fulfill all promises made to the Samyukta Kisaan Morcha (SKM) when it lifted its ‘andolan’ against the three black laws in November 2021.
Harsimrat, in a letter to the Union Agriculture Minister, said that it was unfortunate that the issues which the Union Government committed to resolve when farmers lifted their blockade of Delhi after the three contentious laws were repealed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were still lying in cold storage since the last 18 months.
Urging the Agriculture Minister to resolve all issues as per the commitment made to the ‘annadaata’, Harsimrat said: “MSP regime should be given legal sanctity and for this to take place, the Government should revise the terms and objectives of the MSP Committee formed by it as well as recast it to include members of the SKM. The terms of the Committee should be as per the commitment made by the government – to guarantee MSP”.
Taking up other issues raised by SKM in a memorandum submitted to the Bathinda MP which she also forwarded to the Agriculture Minister, she said: “It is a fact that farmers are not getting remunerative prices for their produce due to rising costs of inputs. This is forcing farmers into a debt trap which is the cause of the increase in suicides in the farming community.”
She said that to rectify this situation, farmers should be given a universal farm loan debt waiver.
Listing out other causes for friction with the farming community, she said that there is a universal feeling in the farming community that justice has not been done in Lakhimpuri case in which Union Minister for State Ajay Mishra’s son crushed innocent farmers under his SUV.
She added that the farmers also wanted immediate withdrawal of the Electricity Reforms Bill-2022. She also called for a comprehensive and prudent Fasal Bima Yojana which ensured full compensation for all crops damaged by drought, floods, thunderstorm, and diseases. She also urged the Agriculture Minister that all marginal and small men and women farmers and farm labourers be granted a pension of Rs 10, 000 per month.
She also called for withdrawal of all cases registered against farmers in BJP-ruled States, disbursal of compensation and construction of a memorial for all 800 farmers who were martyred during the course of the Kisaan Andolan.