Farmers' struggle forced Centre to hike MSP: Yogendra Yadav
New Delhi, July 4: Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav on Wednesday said that a "historic struggle" by the farmers "forced" the government to hike Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Kharif crops, though it is "not the price" what Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised before 2014 Lok sabha elections.
"The MSP announcements of Kharif 2018-19 is a small victory for farmers. In this election year, the Modi Government has been forced to partially act, at least on paper, on the promise of remunerative MSP that it had made before the previous election," Yadav said in a statement.
Finding flaws with the MSP announcement, he said that the announced MSP has not been "computed at 50 per cent above comprehensive cost (C2) being demanded by farmers' organisations.
"It is not the price promised by PM Modi in hundreds of election meetings and contained in the 2014 election manifesto of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)."
He also raised concern over implementation of the decision, saying: "It is not an immediate relief to farmers, it is merely a promise, the fulfilment of which depends on government procurement and intensive support, something that has been lacking till now."
Stressing to make MSP as a legal right, he said that unless MSP is prepared as a legal right, for enforcement, it remains "discretionary" and farmers will be left at the "mercy" of the next government.
Drawing a comparison between the UPA II and NDA governments, Avik Saha, National Convenor of Jai Kisan Andolan, in a statement said: "There is nothing historic or substantial about the MSP hike - it is in fact lower than the hikes given by UPA II government, in respect of almost all crops. For paddy, while the average hike provided by the UPA II was 69 per cent, the Modi government's hike is only 41 per cent."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
