 "Centre should bring ordinance to ensure MSP for crops outside mandi: Hooda")
The Centre should bring an ordinance making a provision that crop purchase of farmers made outside the 'mandi' system will be at the minimum support price (MSP) or above, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said on Tuesday.
Hooda was replying to question about the opposition by some farmers to the three ordinances related to the agriculture sector promulgated by the Centre recently.
"The Centre brought these three farm-related ordinances; which the BJP says are in the interest of farmers. But now under the new provisions, it can lead to exploitation of farmers as there will be bigger market forces who will control things to their advantage," the senior Congress leader told a press conference which he addressed digitally.
He said that barring some minor points, he will have no objection to the three ordinances if the Centre brings a fourth one to allay concerns of farmers.
Under the new provisions, there being no bar on farmers to sell their crop even outside the 'mandis', which are well established in Haryana and Punjab, Hooda said, "The Centre should make a provision that if any one purchases crop will do so on MSP using C2 (comprehensive cost) formula given by the M S Swaminathan Commission.
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He also said it should be made a punishable offence if anyone purchases crops below the MSP.
The Centre had promulgated three ordinances which are the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance.
Notwithstanding assurances by the government, some farmers in Punjab and Haryana have expressed fear that with these ordinances, the minimum support price system for foodgrain procurement would be dismantled.
Hooda, meanwhile, hit out at the BJP-JJP government in Haryana over several issues including alleged scams.
When the Congress was in power, Haryana was ahead in every sphere, but today there is mal-governance, corruption, scams; the state is falling behind in all fields, unemployment on rise and debt is mounting, Hooda, who is Leader of the Opposition in State Assembly, alleged.
On alleged scams, he said, "There has been liquor scam, land deed registry scam, mining scam, paddy scam, paper leak scambut each time the government has tried to brush things under the carpet.
Commenting on a report regarding the alleged theft of seized liquor from the godowns submitted by a state government-constituted Special Enquiry Team recently, Hooda said his party had earlier demanded probe by a sitting high court judge or a CBI inquiry into the matter.
As the government got the liquor scam probed neither under a sitting high court judge nor recommended a CBI probe, now we demand that a House (State Assembly) Committee like a Joint Parliamentary Committee, should be constituted which can go into bottom of this entire scam.
In its report, the SET, which we believe was toothless, has blamed some officials for lapses, but it is unfair to single out officials and an in-depth probe is needed to go into bottom of entire thing and a House committee should be set up and empowered to conduct a thorough probe, he said.
With the Haryana government last month appointing international wrestler Babita Phogat and Kabaddi player Kavita Devi as deputy directors in its Sports and Youth Affairs department, Hooda said while he welcomes recognising contribution of sportspersons, but government should not discriminate.
I have no objection if anyone is given a post, but why has this government ignored players like (wrestler) Bajrang Punia, (star javelin thrower) Neeraj Chopra and (wrestler) Sakshi Malik. These players have not got their due, he claimed.
On the issue of 1,983 sacked physical training instructors, Hooda said the government can reinstate them by framing a special legislation.
He said if the government does not bring a bill, he will tell his party MLAs to move a private members' bill.
Notably, the Supreme Court earlier this year had upheld the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashing appointment of these instructors.
Supreme Court has not raised any question on their merits Haryana government should use powers to reinstate them. When our government came to power in 2005, we also faced the issue of over 4,000 Minor Irrigation and Tubewell Corporation employees who had been retrenched, but we found ways to absorb them in service, he said.
On the National Education Policy, Hooda said as stress is being laid on digital education, It should be ensured that it does not lead to a digital divide between urban and rural students.
On the upcoming Baroda assembly bypoll in Sonipat, dates for which are yet to be announced by the Election Commission, Hooda exuded confidence that the Congress will retain the seat and said some recent announcements for the constituency made by Khattar government were made merely with polls in mind.
On law and order situation, Hooda said, The crime graph is going up. On an average, there are three murders, four rape incidents in the state daily.
He said the Congress will hold a state wide protest against alleged scams and other burning issues on Thursday.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
