Cong flays Mann govt for failing to provide MSP to farmers for moong

Leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said the procurement of a lion’s share of moong crop arrivals in the mandis by private players at prices ranging between ₹5,000 and ₹6,500 per quintal has left the farming community cheated due to the fault-lines in the procurement arrangements

Chandigarh : The Punjab government has drawn flak from the opposition Congress for failing to provide minimum support price (MSP) to farmers for bulk of the moong (green gram) crop.

Leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa .

Leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said the procurement of a lion’s share of moong crop arrivals in the mandis by private players at prices ranging between ₹5,000 and ₹6,500 per quintal has left the farming community cheated due to the fault-lines in the procurement arrangements. The chief minister must clarify about the total amount of funds released by the government under its DBT (direct benefit transfer) scheme to those who had to sell their produce to the private players at a loss, he said in a statement.

All India Kisan Congress president and MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira also came down heavily on the state government for failing to provide MSP to the farmers growing pulses. “While the government has been talking about crop diversification so vociferously, it has miserably failed to come to the support of farmers cultivating moong,” he added.

He said the AAP government has cheated farmers on this matter. If needed, the Congress would launch an agitation in support of farmers to help get them their due, the Congress MLA said.

Sukhbir demands compensation for farmers

BARNALA: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday demanded compensation for farmers who suffered losses after being asked to sell their moong crop below the minimum support price (MSP) of ₹7,225. The farmers had sold the crop after an announcement made by chief minister Bhagwant Mann.

“The chief minister announced in the state assembly that the government would compensate those farmers whose crop was procured below MSP,” the SAD president said while interacting with farmers in Tapa Mandi.

Asking the chief minister as to what was the fault of the farmer who had believed his assurance, Sukhbir demanded that the farmers be compensated immediately. He also accused that after the chief minister could not implement his announcement, farmers were finding it difficult to sell their crop even thousands of rupees below the MSP. “Some farmers have even ploughed their moong fields in desperation,” he added.