SC seeks govt's response on plea for upward revision of MSP

The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to respond to suggestions, including upward revision of minimum support price (MSP) for foodgrains, given by an NGO to ameliorate the plight of farmers, who were committing suicide.
"P S Narsimha, Additional Solicitor General, seeks some time, so as to enable him to analyse the documents placed on record of the case, and to seek the views of the competent authority on the submissions advanced by the counsel for the petitioner...," a bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul said while granting four weeks to the Centre to file its response.

The bench, however, said that agriculture was a state subject and it was upto the state governments also to adopt welfare measures and the Centre cannot unilaterally take decisions.
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for NGO Citizens Resource and Action and Initiative (CRANTI), said the MSP has to be revised as per the 2015 report of the Professor Ramesh Chandra committee.
The NGO, in its submissions, has sought directions on issues including implementation of recommendations of the Prof Ramesh Chand Committee Report which has suggested enhancement of MSP by computing the time spent by a farmer in agricultural activities on the basis of skilled wage rate and calculating land rent as the prevailing rent or the actual reported, without any ceiling.

On the issue of crop insurance, the NGO has sought improvement and implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) to ensure crop insurance of 9 crore agricultural households as against 20 per cent of the farmers covered as on date.

It has also sought urgent and immediate steps to reduce rural indebtedness which stood at 45.9 per cent in 2013 as well as the intensification of debt burden that rose from 1.61 in 1992 to 2.46 in 2013 by sharply reducing the outstanding debt from money lenders which stands at 29.6 per cent in 2013.
The Centre said it needed time to peruse the suggestions and respond to them.

Earlier, the apex court had said farmers committing suicide in the country was a serious issue and the Centre should deal with the real issues which forced them to take the extreme step.