Another non-starter

Higher MSPs for minor forest products won't help

The government seems to have failed to realise the futility of raising the minimum support prices (MSPs) of crops without their effective enforcement. It has now hiked the floor prices of several minor forest products and added17 more items to the forest produce covered under the market support scheme. This move, too, is likely to provide only cold comfort to the forest-dwelling tribes who rely heavily on income from minor forest produce. Coming soon after the drubbing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received in the tribal-dominated areas in the recent Assembly elections, this move is bound to be viewed