Congress demands white paper on farmers' income in 2004, 2014, 2022
New Delhi: Raising its demand for a minimum support price (MSP) law, the Congress on Thursday sought a white paper on farmers' income in 2004, 2014, and 2022 on the same parameters.
While addressing a press conference, the chairman of the farmers' cell of the Congress Sukhpal Singh Khaira said, "In February 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised doubling of farmers' income by the year 2022. What to speak of doubling their income, if inflation is accounted for, the farmers' income has actually reduced during these years."
"It was actually the initiatives of the Congress-led UPA government between 2004 and 2014 that had helped in doubling the farmers' income," Khaira said
Giving official figures of MSP, the Kisan Congress chairman said, in 2004 when the UPA led by Manmohan Singh took over, the MSP for wheat was Rs 640 per quintal and it went up to Rs 1,285 per quintal in 2011-2012 and Rs 1,400 per quintal for 2013-14 season. Similarly, the MSP for paddy in 2004 was Rs 560 per quintal, which went to Rs 1,310 per quintal in 2013-14.
"In strong contrast, from the BJP government's own admission, the MSP for both paddy and wheat did not increase by more than 50 per cent during their regime. After independence, the Modi government was the first government of India, which imposed GST on pesticides, fertilisers and farm appliances. Who actually doubled the farmers' income?" he asked.
The Congress leader further said, "The farmers also faced the double whammy in terms of increase in input costs like diesel as the prices of diesel in May 2014 were Rs 55.48 per litre while in December 2022 these were Rs 89.62 per litre which means the diesel prices have increased to about 61 per cent."
"On May 26, 2014, when the Congress was voted out of power and the Modi government came, the price of crude oil was USD 108 per barrel, in December 2022, the average is USD 77.99 per barrel which is about 28 per cent lower as compared to May 2014 prices," he said.
"The government constituted a Doubling of Farmers' Income Committee (DFIC) in 2016 which submitted its report in 2018 and that report is still gathering dust in the corridors of power", he said.
