200 recommendations of Swaminathan report accepted by govt: Agri minister

Of the 201 recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee report on farmers, 200 have been accepted by the government, including the one on giving them 50 per cent more MSP than the production cost of the crop, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Thursday.

Stressing that agriculture is the backbone of the economy, Tomar said in the Lok Sabha that the government has been taking several measures to help the farmers, including the PM Kisan Yojana that gives them Rs 6,000 a year.

The minister also said that of the 260 works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 164 are related to agriculture.

Speaking about the Swaimnathan Committee report, he said of the 201 recommendations, 200 have been accepted.

One of the recommendations of commission was that MSP should be at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production.

This recommendation was not incorporated in the National Policy for Farmers, 2007.

Tomar said MSP has been increased for 22 crops, he said.