Farmers and businessmen cannot be treated differently: Paswan
New Delhi, July 3: Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Tuesday said there cannot be two different policies for farmers and businessman even as he demanded assured 50 per cent profit for agricultural commodities.
"Nobody knows the production cost of cars and the profit margin by the companies. Farmers cannot decide the production cost of their crops. Farmers should get Minimum Support Price (MSP) of 1.5 times the input cost. It should be neither less nor more," Paswan, the chief of the Lok Janshakti Party, told reporters on the sidelines of National Executive of his party's farmer cell.
He welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent announcement of 50 per cent profit to the notified crop produce.
"(A) Policy decision has been taken to double farmers' income and MSP of 1.5 times (the input cost). A committee is working on it (price fixation)," said Paswan, but refused to divulge much about the formula to be used to fix the MSP.
To a query on anticipated impact of higher MSP on inflation, he asked why only this issue was being raised when there was silence on the rising prices of other commodities.
"Is there anything that has not become costly? Be it cars or houses. However, the crop prices have been stagnant in last five years," he said, adding that the government will take care of the expenditure on higher MSP.
Paswan also said that the government was "aware" of the delay in paying claims under crop insurance schemes by private insurance companies.
"We are alert this time," he said.
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Cong govt takes loans, gives it to Sonia Gandhi: Kangana Ranaut
Shimla (PTI): BJP MP Kangana Ranaut on Sunday alleged that the Himachal Pradesh government takes loans and gives it to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi which has made the state's coffers "hollow".
Addressing people after launching a BJP membership drive at a village here, the actress-turned-politician said, "Everyone is aware that corruption is prevalent and the Congress-ruling state governments have hollowed their respective states."
She wondered how the party spends "so much" on elections.
Attacking the Congress government headed by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, she said, "They take loans and give it to Sonia Gandhi which has made the state hollow."
"Disasters and Congress government have taken the state decades back and I would appeal to people to root out the present government," Ranaut said.
"If we give disaster funds, it should go to the CM Relief Fund but everyone knows that it goes to the Sonia relief fund," she alleged.
