No assurance from Govt to farmers to provide legal guarantee on MSP: Tomar in LS

Union Agriculture Minister Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stated in Lok Sabha that the Union Government has not assured SKM of setting up a committee to provide a legal guarantee on MSP.

New Delhi: The government of India did not assure farmer body Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) of setting up a committee to provide legal guarantee on the minimum support price, the centre said in Parliament on Tuesday. Under the umbrella of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), thousands of farmers had held a year-long agitation at Delhi borders and forced the government to withdraw the three contentious farm laws.

Asked whether the Centre has assured the SKM of setting up a committee to provide a legal guarantee on MSP to farmers, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stated in a written reply " No Sir,". "The government had assured the formation of a committee to make MSP more effective and transparent, to promote natural farming and to change crop pattern keeping in mind the changing needs of the country," stated the Minister.

He also said that accordingly a committee has been set up comprising representatives of the Centre, State Government, farmers, etc. The Union Government on Monday constituted a committee on MSP, eight months after it promised to set up such a panel while withdrawing the three contentious farm laws. The panel's terms of reference have no mention of a "legal guarantee of MSP".

However, the SKM has rejected the government's committee on MSP, saying "so-called farmer leaders" who supported the now-repealed farm laws are its members and do not talk about ensuring the legal rights of farmers. (With Agency inputs).