Hike in wheat MSP by Rs 75 a cruel joke on farmers: Amarinder

Congress leader Amarinder Singh today said the "meagre hike" of Rs 75 per quintal in Minimum Support Price (MSP) of wheat was a "cruel joke" and "would not serve any purpose".
The Congress' Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha said, it is high time that the Narendra Modi government took "agrarian crisis" seriously and on priority.
"Given the crisis agrarian economy was facing, particularly in states like Punjab where farmers are committing suicide almost every day, this meagre hike will not serve any purpose. It is a cruel joke on farmers," the Congress' Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha said.

Notably, the MSP of wheat, the main Rabi crop, has been increased by Rs 75 to Rs 1,525 a quintal for the 2015-16 Rabi season.
Pointing out that basmati rates have come down from Rs 3,400 per quintal last year to Rs 1,400 per quintal this year, Amarinder said, it is high time that the Narendra Modi government took agrarian crisis seriously and on priority basis.
"To begin with, it could follow the Swaminathan Commission recommendations while fixing the prices for the farm products," the the former Chief Minister, who is at present the sitting MP from Amritsar, said.