THE Narendra Modi Government will purchase all farm produce at minimum support price, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in Rajya Sabha on Friday. He gave the assurance while answering supplementaries during Question Hour on the issue of MSP to farmers. The assertion came on a day when farmers are planning to embark on a foot march to Delhi with their demands. “I want to assure the house through you that all produce of farmers will be purchased at minimum support price. This is the Modi Government and the guarantee to fulfil Modi’s guarantee,” Chouhan told the house. “When our friends from the other side were in power, they had stated on record that they cannot accept the M S Swaminathan Commission recommendations, especially on giving 50 per cent more than the cost of produce. I have the record,” he said.

 

He cited former MoS Agriculture Kantilal Bhuria, Agriculture Ministers Sharad Pawar, and K V Thomas to back his claim. After his remarks, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asked him to place on record the documents to substantiate his claim, which Chouhan agreed to. “They have never honoured the farmers and never gave a serious consideration to farmers’ demands for remunerative prices. I want to assure the house through you that since 2019 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to calculate the minimum support price by giving 50 per cent profit on cost of production to farmers,” the Minister claimed.

 

He also claimed the Modi Government is already giving remunerative prices to farmers, saying that paddy wheat, jowar, soyabean were being purchased at 50 per cent above the cost of production from three years ago. He also cited intervention in changing export duties and prices whenever rates of commodities fall. Govt disburses Rs 20,657 cr to 9.58 crore farmers in 18th installments of PM-KISAN scheme: The Government has disbursed Rs 20,657 crore to over 9.58 crore farmers in the latest 18th installment under the PM-KISAN scheme. In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Agriculture Ram Nath Thakur informed that 9,58,97,635 farmers received Rs 20,657.36 crore under the PM-KISAN’s 18th installment for August-November 2024 period. “The PM-KISAN scheme is a central sector scheme launched in February 2019 by the Prime Minister to supplement the financial needs of land-holding farmers. “Under the scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is transferred in three equal installments, into the Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts of farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode,” he said. A farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured the benefits of the scheme reach all. the farmers across the country without the involvement of any middlemen, he added.

 

“Maintaining absolute transparency in registering and verifying beneficiaries, the Government of India has disbursed over Rs 3.46 lakh crore in 18 installments since inception. During the release of the 18th installment of PMKisan, over 9.58 cr beneficiaries received the benefit of the scheme,” Thakur said. Answering a separate question, he informed that the recoveries from ineligible farmers marked due to income tax payee, higher income groups, Government employees etc. Have been initiated by the concerned State Governments. “A total of Rs 335 crore has been recovered from the ineligible beneficiaries so far across the country,” the Minister said. In reply to another query, Thakur said, “Presently, there is no proposal under consideration to expand the scheme to tenant farmers”.