NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel on Tuesday recommended legal guarantee to procurement of crops at minimum support price (MSP), introduction of a scheme to waive debt of farmers and farm labourers, and increasing the financial support given under the PM-Kisan from existing Rs 6,000 per annum to Rs 12,000 annually.
Though these suggestions are merely recommendatory in nature, the panel – standing committee on agriculture, animal husbandry and food processing – in its report sought to flag all the issues which have been dominating the farmers’ demands for the last four years.
The panel, headed by Congress Lok Sabha member Charanjit Singh Channi, suggested that the financial support given to farmers under the PM-Kisan scheme should be extended to tenant farmers and farm labourers. Currently, the scheme is meant for only landholder farmers irrespective of the size of their landholdings.
It also recommended that a National Commission for Minimum Living Wages for farm labourers be established at the earliest to provide them their long due rights.
Observing that the implementation of MSP remains a focal point in the dialogue surrounding agricultural reform and farmers welfare, the report said, “Since the Committee believe that implementing a robust and legally binding MSP in the country could play a crucial role in reducing farmer suicides in India by providing financial stability, protecting against market volatility and alleviating debt burdens, they recommended implementation of the same.”
The committee also urged the govt to enhance allocation to agriculture especially to improve productivity. It noted that though the data showed that the department of agriculture and farmers welfare got higher allocations in absolute amount from 2021-22 to 2024-25, its percentage share in the total central plan outlay witnessed decline from 3.53% in 2020-21 to 2.54% in 2024-25.
Besides making these recommendations, the panel urged govt to explore possibility of providing compulsory Universal Crop Insurance to small farmers with land holding of up to two hectares on the lines of the central govt’s health insurance scheme, being provided to all citizens.
