Farmers push for SC's help to bring MSP law

Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on a fast-unto-death, and several protesting farmers' unions have urged the Supreme Court to ask the Centre to implement a parliamentary standing committee's recommendation for legally guaranteed support prices.

- Zia Haq

NEW DELHI:

In its report on demand for grants (2024-25) tabled in the just-concluded Parliament session, the standing committee on agriculture, animal husbandry and food processing has backed the idea of legally guaranteed minimum support prices (MSP) for farm produce, calling it "essential".

The standing committee also recommended that the agriculture ministry formulate a road map towards implementing the MSP proposal, a key demand of several farm unions since 2021.

"I request you to issue necessary directions to the central government to enact the MSP guarantee law in line with the parliamentary committee's report and the sentiments of farmers," Dallewal said in a letter on Saturday to a Supreme Court bench looking into the matter.