Govt hikes paddy MSP by Rs 53/qtl for 2020-21
New Delhi: The government on Monday hiked the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy marginally by Rs 53 per quintal to Rs 1,868 per quintal for the 2020-21 crop year, while the rates for oilseeds, pulses and cereals were also raised.
The decision, taken by the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will help farmers take a call on which kharif (summer) crop to grow as sowing picks up with the arrival of southwest monsoon.
The Met Department has projected normal monsoon during the June-September period.
"Based on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), the cabinet has approved MSP of 14 crops. Paddy (common) MSP has been increased to Rs 1,868 per quintal for this year," Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told media after the meeting.
He said the increase in support price of paddy will ensure 50 per cent return over the cost to the farmers, he said. The MSP of Grade A variety of Paddy has been increased to Rs 1,888 per quintal for 2020-21 crop year from 1,835 per quintal last year.
In an official statement, the government said the support price of cotton (medium staple) has been increased by Rs 260 per quintal to Rs 5,515 per quintal for 2020-21 from Rs 5,255 per quintal last year.
The support price of cotton (long staple) has been increased to Rs 5,825 per quintal from Rs 5,550 per quintal in the said period, it added.
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Nashik court sends ‘godman’ Kharat to 3-day police custody in 7th sexual exploitation case
Nashik (PTI): A court in Maharashtra's Nashik has remanded self-styled astrologer-cum-godman Ashok Kharat to police custody till April 29 in the seventh case of sexual exploitation registered against him.
Kharat, a former Merchant Navy officer arrested on March 18, is accused of sexually exploiting several women and indulging in large-scale financial fraud by claiming to have divine powers and knowledge of black magic.
In the seventh case, Kharat sexually exploited a married woman who had approached him in search of solutions to her family problems.
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The accused allegedly gave the woman something to drink, sexually assaulted her while her husband sat outside his office and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about it.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing into 12 cases of sexual exploitation and financial fraud registered against Kharat in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts, on Sunday filed a request application in the court demanding his custody in the seventh case.
Kharat was produced in court for a virtual hearing in the seventh case on Monday.
The prosecution demanded six-day police custody for Kharat, citing the discovery of a locker in Kharat's house during the investigation, from which the police recovered two blank cheques and other documents, all of which have to be probed.
The court agreed to the prosecution's demand and remanded Kharat to three-day police custody till April 29 in the case.
Kharat has been at the centre of a political firestorm, as he was well-connected, and photographs of him with political leaders and other important members of society have been surfacing in mainstream and social media since his arrest.
