Madhya Pradesh Election 2023 News
For the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, both the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have announced a “bonus” on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat and paddy in their manifestos. Through this, both parties have their eyes on the farmer’s vote bank. But when either of the two parties comes to power, they will have to face many challenges in implementing this promise from the manifesto. Let us know what could be the obstacle and how it can be found out.
This obstacle may come
In fact, it will not take any additional grain from such states beyond its requirement for maintaining the public distribution system and buffer stock. According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Food Ministry and the states, if a state gives a financial incentive (bonus) directly or indirectly above the MSP and if the total procurement of the state exceeds it, then the government’s share under PDS The total allocation made by such additional quantity shall be treated as out of the “Central Pool”. Food Corporation of India (FCI) maintains a central pool of food grains. Both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are surplus states, meaning they procure more than their needs under the PDS and other welfare schemes.
This way the way can be found
However, officials said state governments have taken cues from the Center to replace the bonuses in schemes like PM Kisan implemented by the central government in the past. Officials said states may choose to provide indirect financial incentives to farmers based on land holdings as is being done under schemes like ‘Kalia’ in Odisha and ‘Rythu Bandhu’ in Telangana. “Parties announce bonuses to make it easier for voters and farmers to understand, while they come up with a plan for implementation,” said an official.
Both parties have given this offer
In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP has announced the purchase of wheat at Rs 2,800 per quintal, which also includes the MSP of Rs 2,125. For paddy, the BJP has also promised to buy food grains in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at Rs 3,100 per quintal against the current MSP of Rs 2,183. Similarly, Congress has promised to purchase paddy at Rs 3,000 per quintal in Chhattisgarh. The two poll-bound states have a significant stake in the procurement of paddy and wheat under the Centre’s MSP operation as they have increased procurement at the local level.
