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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2 killed, 5 injured in firing after mob storms CRPF camp in Manipur's Bishnupur: State home minister
Imphal (PTI): Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam on Tuesday said two persons were killed and five others injured in firing after a mob stormed a CRPF camp in Bishnupur district.
A large number of youths and women held a protest against the killing of two children in a bomb attack by suspected militants in Moirang Tronglaobi area earlier in the day, he said.
The protesters stormed the CRPF camp near Gelmol, a few 100 metres from the bomb attack site, burnt vehicles and vandalised properties there, he said.
"I had urged the protesters not to enter the CRPF camp and to allow security forces to focus on conducting an operation to apprehend those involved in the bomb attack," the minister said.
But the demonstrators did not pay heed to the appeal.
"They stormed the CRPF camp, burnt vehicles and vandalised portions of the camp, leading to firing by security personnel. They fired either in self-defence or in anger. Two persons, unfortunately, died in the firing, while five others sustained bullet injuries," the state home minister said.
