Want debt waiver for all states: CM

Chandigarh : Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has urged the Union Government to intervene immediately to resolve the crisis gripping the farming community across the country, reiterating the Congress demand for farm debt waiver for all states. He said urgent steps were required to be taken to fix the MSP of crops in line with the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.
The Chief Minister’s request came amid an escalating farmer crisis in the country, which witnessed six people being killed in police firing during a protest by farmers in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, and continuing spate of farmer suicides in various states, including Punjab. In a statement issued here today, Amarinder, while reiterating his government’s commitment to waive loans for farmers in Punjab, called for a holistic policy by the Centre to address the problem. Though the Commission set up by his government to work out the debt waiver modalities was already on the job, it was important to resolve the crisis at a national level, he added.
The key to resolving the farmers’ problems in the country lies in the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report, which had recommended fixing the MSP at levels at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production, the CM said. As pointed out by the commission, this would help enhance the profitability in agriculture, by ensuring a minimum of 50 per cent profits over the cost of production, Amarinder added.He referred to this own request to the Union Government for fixing MSP for maize, in addition to wheat and paddy, to stress the need to encourage the farmers to diversify their cultivation habits and shift towards more lucrative cash crops.