In case you haven't noticed, the agitating farmers have demanded that the GoI incorporate MSP into the said act.
Haven't you checked out the total cost to the Exchequer the GoI shells out towards MSP which in turn exists only for food grains principally for rice & wheat which both Punjab & Haryana produce inefficiently with free power & water & heavily subsidised fertilizers especially given that rice is a water intensive crop not suited for growth there?
But since the FCI picks up most of the produce of P&H at MSP which in turn goes up each year, the vicious cycle continues. Moreover if MSP is your demand, why not raise the issue with the state government since Capt Amarinder Singh has already passed legislation negating the central laws. Let him put his money where his mouth is.
If you bring up the argument about MSP, tomorrow the state would have to subsidise every farmer for every crop be it grains, pulses, fruits, horticulture, etc. - the logic being why should only a few crops in selected areas of the country benefit at the cost of others.Apart from GoI lacking the finances & the fact that ot makes for bad economics just for argument's sake, if the GoI agrees , are you prepared to shell out additional money in taxes to make up the short fall?
Finally, minimum wage in industry & MSP aren't related. By that token just as a farmer asks for an MSP, what if industrialists from big & MSME sector start asking for a similar guaranteed price as subsidy from the GoI? Besides, while we're on MSP, Are the agricultural labourers in P&H paid as per the minimum wages act ?
