Committee by state assembly on paddy MSP to meet today

The Assembly had last year passed an unanimous resolution to make minimum support price of paddy `2,930 per quintal.
Farmers have been demanding a rise in MSP of paddy yield. | Express Photo Services
Farmers have been demanding a rise in MSP of paddy yield. | Express Photo Services

BHUBANESWAR:  With the farmers stepping up their agitation across the State over price, pension and prestige, the Assembly Committee on paddy minimum support price (MSP) will meet here on November 15 to decide the next course of action. The Centre’s refusal to accept the State’s demand for an enhanced minimum support price for paddy has added to the concern’s of the farmers.

The Committee, headed by Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat, had last met during the monsoon session of Assembly in July and had decided to meet President Ram Nath Kovind to seek his intervention on  the issue.The Speaker had written to Rashtrapati Bhavan seeking an appointment with the President to  take up the issues of farmers. 

The Committee decided to meet the President as it could not get appointment from the Prime Minister’s Office which did not acknowledge the panel’s request letter for a meeting.The House Committee meeting had resolved to submit a memorandum to the President with the State’s demand to announce minimum support price at `2,930 per quintal of paddy. 

The Assembly had last year passed an unanimous resolution to make minimum support price of paddy `2,930 per quintal. The last meeting of the House Committee was attended by members of all parties except BJP. 

Leader of the BJP legislature party KV Singhdeo and Bibhuti Harichandan, two members of the committee, abstained from the meeting even as the saffron party supported the resolution demanding revision of MSP of paddy. Meanwhile, the Centre has fixed the MSP for paddy at `1,750 per quintal for the current marketing season against State’s demand of `2,930 per quintal. The hike of `200 per quintal is the highest in the last 10 years. 

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