INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. THE PLACES OF WORSHIP (SPECIAL PROVISIONS) ACT, 1991

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Varanasi court rejected the application of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee challenging the maintainability of a suit seeking court direction to worship the “Shivling” said to have been found in the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Places of Worship Act 1991 was passed by parliament during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.The Act was introduced to promote peace, harmony and brotherhood.
• The main objective of the Act is to maintain the religious character of any such place as it existed on the 15th day of August 1947 (at the time of Independence).
• The act prohibits conversion of any place of worship or changing the religious character of any place from its status at the time of Independence.
• The main purpose behind the Act was to check and control communal hatred and promote peace and harmony in the country.
• The 1991 Act covered all disputed sites to which religious groups had raised a claim.
• The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri case was excluded from the provision of the Act.
• Section 4(2) of the Act says that any legal proceeding with respect to the conversion of the religious character of any place of worship existing on August 15, 1947, pending before any court, shall be dropped and no fresh suit or legal proceeding shall be initiated.

Criticisms surrounding the law:

The law has been challenged on the ground that it bars judicial review, which is a basic feature of the Constitution, imposes an “arbitrary irrational retrospective cutoff date”, and abridges the right to religion of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

2. THE MISSION PRARAMBH

THE CONTEXT: Recently, India’s first privately developed launch vehicle, Vikram-S, blasted off on its maiden flight from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) Sriharikota spaceport.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The mission, named Prarambh, or ‘the beginning’, marks the Indian private sector’s first foray into the promising space launch market. The liftoff was at 11.30 am IST.

Mission Prarambh, Vikram S Rocket: In the names of Sarabhai and Kalam

• The rocket has been developed by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace, a company that was started in 2018. It is called Vikram-S. It is named after Vikram Sarabhai, the founder of India’s space programme.
• “The Vikram-S rocket is a single-stage sub-orbital launch vehicle which will carry three customer payloads and help test and validate technologies in the Vikram series space launch vehicles.
• The company is designing three Vikram rockets that will use various solid and cryogenic fuels. The Vikram series of rockets are among the few launch vehicles that have their core structure built using carbon composites. The thrusters used for spin stability in the vehicle have been 3D printed.
• The engine used in the launch vehicle is named after former president Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. The performance of the ‘Kalam-80’ will be one of the key areas that the company will monitor during the flight of Vikram-S.

More coming from private sector

• Although Skyroot is the first private company to launch its rocket, others are not far behind.
• Agnikul Cosmos, whose semi-cryogenic Agnilet engine was test- fired for 15 seconds this week at ISRO’s vertical testing facility at Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), Thiruvananthapuram. And ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLV) are also likely to be manufactured and operated by private players soon.
• Regarding the entry of private players in the space sector in India, ISRO chairperson said that around 100 start-ups have registered with the space agency and are working closely with it in “various domains of the space sector”.

Government step to inclusion of private player in space industry:

Several steps have been initiated towards opening the space sector for private entities in a phased manner.

• In the 2019 budget, the government announced the setting up of New Space India Limited (NSIL) with a mandate to mass-produce and manufacture small satellite launch vehicles (SSLVs) and polar satellite launch vehicles (PSLVs) in partnership with the private sector through technology transfer.
• The Draft National Space Policy 2020 was thus unveiled with the aim to increase public-private partnerships in space research and exploration activities. Instead of only partnering on the manufacturing and logistical side of operations earlier, private players were now given access to ISRO’s infrastructure, technical resources and data to grow.
• In addition, the Union Cabinet in 2020 approved the creation of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to act as a single-window, independent nodal agency between ISRO and private entities to utilise India’s space resources efficiently.
• Recently, India’s space agency unveiled a draft “Humans In Space Policy 2021” that would look at facilitating participation of non-traditional players in undertaking space activities.

Indian private startups in space industry:

Several Indian startups have started their operations. Some of the startups include:

• Digantara: It is an Indian private company working to secure long-term space flight safety by developing space debris tracking and monitoring services.
• Bellatrix Aerospace: Headquartered in Bangalore, it is an Indian private aerospace manufacturer and small satellite company.
• Tathya Earth: The company leverages deep learning algorithms for satellite imagery and maritime data to identify important real-time trends in the global economy.
• Skyroot,A startup founded by two former ISRO scientists. The company is building “Vikram” rockets from scratch, which are the first brand of rockets made by the private sector in India.
• Agnikul Cosmos, a startup founded by two 21-year-old college students became the world’s first company to successfully test a 3D printed rocket engine, which is a new and upcoming tech in the space industry and is predicted to replace conventional assembly models.

ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

3. SIBERIAN RUBYTHROAT RECORDED IN THE NILGIRI

THE CONTEXT: Recently, a rare winter migrant, Siberian rubythroat (Calliope calliope), has been recorded in the Nilgiris.

THE EXPLANATION:

The Siberian rubythroat is a ground-loving songbird. The male has a red throat edged with a narrow black border and a broad white border. Females lack brightly coloured throat and borders.

• The Siberian rubythroat is a ground-loving songbird. The male has a red throat edged with a narrow black border and a broad white border. Females lack brightly coloured throat and borders. Each year, bird watchers from across south India watch for winter migrants to the Nilgiris.
• The Siberian Rubythroat is a ground-loving songbird of Asia. They primarily breed in Siberia, while wintering in southern and southeastern Asia.  While very similar in overall appearance to thrushes, they may more properly be classified as Old World flycatchers, and are now often placed in the family Muscicapidae instead of the thrush family Turdidae.
• They have occasionally wandered outside of their normal breeding and wintering range, particularly in Eurasia where they have been found as far west as Great Britain on occasion. In North America, they are primarily known from several sightings on islands off the coast of Alaska.
• Habitat: Found in brushy forest clearings, edge of taiga or boreal forest, shrubby streamside thickets, or other similar semi-open habitats with available brush.
• Migration: During the summer they are found as breeding birds in Siberia. They move to eastern India, Thailand, Indonesia, and other nearby countries for the winter.
• IUCN STATUS: Least Concern.

PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

4. BALIYATRA: CELEBRATING ODISHA’S ANCIENT LINKS WITH INDONESIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

THE CONTEXT: During the G20 Summit, Prime Minister mentioned Baliyatra, literally ‘voyage to Bali’, one of the country’s largest open-air fairs that commemorates the 2,000-year-old maritime and cultural links between ancient Kalinga and Southeast Asia.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In his address to the Indian diaspora in Bali on the sidelines of the G20 summit, Prime Minister mentioned the annual Baliyatra on the banks of the Mahanadi in Cuttack, which celebrates the ancient trade relations between India and Indonesia.
• This year’s Baliyatra, which concluded on Thursday, also found a place in the Guinness World Records for achieving an impressive feat of origami, the creation of beautiful paper sculptures.

Historical significance

• Baliyatra, literally ‘voyage to Bali’, is one of the country’s largest open-air fairs, which is organised every year to commemorate the 2,000-year-old maritime and cultural links between ancient Kalinga (today’s Odisha) and Bali and other South and Southeast Asian regions like Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
• The origins of the festival, which begins on Kartik Purnima (full moon night in the month of Kartik) can be traced back more than 1,000 years. The Bay of Bengal region had several ports, and sadhavas (traders) traditionally began their voyage across the sea on this auspicious day, when the winds were favourable for the boats, known as boita, to sail.
• According to historians, popular items of trade between Kalinga and Southeast Asia included pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, silk, camphor, gold, and jewellery.
• Besides the cultural and historical aspects, Baliyatra has an important commercial dimension. It is a time when people purchase everything from automobiles and electronic devices to local artisanal products at prices that are comparatively low. The district administration allots more than 1,500 stalls to traders through an auction, and the fair is estimated to see business worth more than Rs 100 crore over its nine days.

5. THE EXCELL AWARDS-2022

THE CONTEXT: In a significant development and recognition to the country’s efforts in improving access to modern family planning methods, India is the only country to have received the Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards-2022 in the ‘country category’ at the International Conference on Family Planning held in Pattaya city, Thailand.

THE EXPLANATION:

• India has made outstanding progress not only in improving access but also adoption of modern contraceptive methods enabling couples to make informed choices about family planning. These are reflected in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) – 5
• As per NFHS-5 data, overall Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has increased substantially from 54 percent to 67 percent in the country, from NFHS-4. Similarly, unmet needs of family planning have witnessed a significant decline from 13 per cent to 9 per cent. The unmet need for spacing has also come down to less than 10 per cent.
• The total ‘demand satisfied’ for family planning among currently married women aged 15-49 in India increased from 66 percent in 2015-16 to 76 percent in 2019-21 which has already crossed the SDG target of 75 set globally for 2030. The government’s focus on improving easy and affordable access to modern contraceptives are reflected in the fact that 68% modern method contraceptive users obtain their method from the public health sector, as per NFHS-5 data. Mission Parivar Vikas, one of the government’s flagship programmes, to reduce unmet needs in family planning, has also been a critical factor in the overall improvement.
• India’s efforts in improving family planning demonstrate the progress the country is making towards achieving the SDG targets on women and maternal health.

What is ICFP?

• The International Conference on Family Planning has convened the global development community around a shared vision of universal access to family planning since 2009.A network of advocates, researchers and scientists, community and government leaders, health practitioners, economists, conveners, civil society members, and young people.
• The 2022 theme, “Family Planning & Universal Health Coverage: Innovate. Collaborate. Accelerate.” underscores our belief that family planning should be a core component of universal health coverage. Not only is access to family planning and reproductive health services a pillar of good personal health, it is also a critical component of a country’s economic health. ICFP 2022 will be a strategic benchmark as the community prepares to recommit to a goal of universal access by 2030.

VALUE ADDITION:

Mission ParivarVikas- The Government has launched Mission Parivar Vikas for substantially increasing access to contraceptives and family planning services in146 high fertility districts with Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 3 and above in seven high focus states. These districts are from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam that itself constitutes 44% of the country’s population.

6. COASTAL DEFENCE EXERCISE SEA VIGIL-22

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Exercise Sea Vigil-22, the Coastal Defence exercise was conducted in Visakhapatnam:

THE EXPLANATION:

• The exercise involved participation of more than 17 Government agencies from nine Coastal States and four Union Territories that are involved in the Coastal Defence Mechanism and Coastal Security construct. More than 500 surface assets from the Indian Navy (IN), Coast Guard (CG), States Marine/ Coastal Police, Customs, Forest Department, Port Authorities and private operators participated in the exercise.
• The exercise also validated the technical surveillance infrastructure called the National Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (NC3I) Network. The Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) at Gurugram and its various nodes across IN and CG stations were exercised for coordinating the surveillance and information dissemination mechanism.
• The envisaged objectives of the exercise were met by the whole-hearted participation of all stakeholders. The cooperation and coordination amongst various agencies involved is a reassuring sign of progress made in the realm of Coastal Defence and the exercise would go a long way in enhancing Coastal Defence and National Security in the maritime domain.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTION

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q1. Drug ‘sodium pentothal’, seen in news, is used for-

a) Clinical trials

b) Narco test

c) Polygraph test

d) Treatment of TB

Answer: B

Explanation:

• In a ‘narco’ or narco analysis test, a drug called sodium pentothal is injected into the body of the accused, which transports them to a hypnotic or sedated state, in which their imagination is neutralised. In this hypnotic state, the accused is understood as being incapable of lying, and is expected to divulge information that is true.
• Sodium pentothal or sodium thiopental is a fast-acting, short duration anaesthetic, which is used in larger doses to sedate patients during surgery. It belongs to the barbiturate class of drugs that act on the central nervous system as depressants.
• Because the drug is believed to weaken the subject’s resolve to lie, it is sometimes referred to as a “truth serum”, and is said to have been used by intelligence operatives during World War II.

THE CONTEXT: After the repealing of three farm laws in November 2021, farmers are now demanding for the legalized Minimum Support Price for their crops.  Although, India is already providing MSP for some crops but Farmers are demanding a legal status for MSP for all crops. In this article, we will analyse the issue in detail.

HOW MANY CROPS DOES THE MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICE COVER?

• The Central Government sets a minimum support price (MSP) for 23 crops every year, based on a formula of one-and-a-half times production costs. This considers both paid-out costs (A2) such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, fuel, irrigation, hired workers and leased-in land, as well as the imputed value of unpaid family labour (FL).
• Farm unions are demanding that a comprehensive cost calculation (C2) must also include capital assets and the rentals and interest forgone on owned land as recommended by the National Commission for Farmers.
• There is currently no statutory backing for these prices, nor any law mandating their enforcement.
• The government only procures about a third of wheat and rice crops at MSP rates (of which half is bought in Punjab and Haryana alone), and 10%-20% of select pulses and oilseeds.
• According to the Shanta Kumar Committee’s 2015 report, only 6% of the farm households sell wheat and rice to the government at MSP rates. However, such procurement has been growing in the last few years, which can also help boost the floor price for private transactions.

WHY DO FARMERS WANT A LAW ON MSP?

• Farmers are saying that MSP based on a C2+50% formula should be made a legal entitlement for all agricultural produce, so that every farmer of the country can be guaranteed at least the MSP announced by the government for their entire crop.
• According to them, most of the cost should be borne by private traders, noting that both middlemen and corporate giants are buying commodities at low rates from farmers and slapping on a huge mark-up before selling to end consumers.
• Farmers want a law that simply stipulates that neither the government nor private players will be allowed to buy produce from the farmer at a rate lower than MSP.
• All farmers groups seeking legal backing for MSP also want it extended to fruit and vegetable farmers who have been excluded from benefits so far.

WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT’S POSITION?

• The Prime Minister announced the formation of a committee to make MSP more transparent, as well as to change crop patterns, often determined by MSP and procurement, and to promote zero budget agriculture which would reduce the cost of production but may also hit yields.
• The panel will have representatives from farm groups as well as from the State and Central Governments, along with agricultural scientists and economists.
• The government has assured that the MSP regime is here to stay, even while dismissing any need for statutory backing.

SHOULD MSP BE LEGALIZED?

YES, MSP SHOULD BE LEGALISED?

TO DECIDE THE MINIMUM PRICE OF A CROP

• The demand for a guaranteed remunerative Minimum Support Price is not about the government procuring products from every farmer in the country at the MSP.
• It is indeed preposterous to think so. It is about reinstating the MSP as the bottom price for all agriculture produce through an Act so that farmers are able to realise at least this minimum price, whoever buys the product.

FREEDOM TO SELL

• A legalized MSP means even as the government agencies continue to remunerate the farmers at the MSP; the private sector would also have to do the same.
• Farmers will have a right to the MSP, even as they continue to enjoy the freedom to sell anywhere.

HIGHER-INCOME TO FARMERS

• The corporate world has welcomed the three farm laws and reiterated that it would benefit the farmer by higher incomes. The government also claims the same. But it is not willing to legalise and institutionalise the only instrument that can guarantee this higher income, the MSP.

PRESENT MSP REGIME SHOWS BETTER RESULT

• Farmers in States with MSP procurements and APMC controlled mandis realise better prices than in States like Bihar, which did away with the APMC.
• A free open market is a traders’ delight but can never be a farmers’ choice, if it cannot guarantee remunerative prices.

A STANDARD MECHANISM

• It will also have to set up stand-by mechanisms to intervene in the market when traders show reluctance to buy.
• Kerala, for instance, has announced base prices for 16 vegetables, fruits and tuber crops, though it does not procure them.
• Still it has allocated ₹35 crore as a market intervention fund, in case they have to procure or compensate to intervene in a price crash situation.
• Similarly, post the Indo-Asean agreement, the price of rubber fell drastically, and Kerala has now a budget head with an allocation to compensate the farmers for price loss.

MARKET ITSELF CAN’T GIVE AN APPROPRIATE PRICE TO FARMERS

• According to the Shantha Kumar Committee on restructuring FCI, only 6 per cent of the farmers benefit from procurement. This figure is outdated after decentralised procurement that now covers 23 States for paddy and 10 States for wheat, out of which 10 States for paddy and five for wheat contribute significantly. Still the number of farmers realising MSP rates is between 15-25 per cent.
• This means most of India’s farmers have to sell their produce at much lesser prices, dictated by the markets.

TO MAKE INDIA A $5 TRILLION ECONOMY.

• India can’t be a five-trillion economy without improving its farm sector and for that a good price policy for farmers cropping is a must.
• Seventy years’ experience shows that the government needs to intervene in cropping patterns in India to ensure a better price for farmers crops.

MSP should not be legalized because of the following reasons-

THE ISSUE OF INFLATION

• A law barring purchases of the other 21 crops below MSPs by any private trader will immediately fuel high inflation.
• Every one percentage point increase in MSPs leads to a 15-basis point increase in inflation.
• Higher MSPs could also upend the Reserve Bank of India’s inflation targets, hurting economic growth.

IMPACT ON PRIVATE TRADERS

• If it is not profitable for traders to buy at MSPs, then the private sector will exit the markets.
• A mandatory MSP means that it will be illegal for anyone to buy any notified commodity at below MSP anywhere in India.
• Traders might find it safer to stay away from the market and wait for the government to offload stocks in the market.

GOVERNMENT WILL BE THE SOLE TRADER

• If private buyers will not purchase, the government then becomes the sole trader.
• It would be a disastrous situation as the government will purchase all the commodities.

FISCAL BURDEN ON THE GOVERNMENT

• The value of the 23 crops presently covered under MSP works out to about Rs 7 lakh crore.
• But after a legalized MSP for all crops, it will cost the government only an additional Rs 47,764 crore (2017-18 data).

NOT IN FAVOUR OF COMPETITION

• Mandatory MSPs will render India’s agri- exports non-competitive because the government’s assured prices are way higher than both domestic and international market prices.

WTO RULING

• Surplus cereals can’t be exported without a subsidy, which invites the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s objections. WTO rules cap government procurement for subsidised food programmes by developing countries at 10% of the total value of agricultural production based on 1986-88 prices in dollar terms.

NEED FOR REFORMS IN PRESENT MSP REGIME

Bias in favour of surplus states

The MSPs benefited farmers in only a few states. Nearly all states in India grow rice, and approximately 20 states grow wheat. However, FCI procures approximately 95 percent of wheat from three states: Punjab, Haryana and (Western) Uttar Pradesh. Approximately 85 to 90 percent of rice is procured from 5 states: Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Adverse impact on Investment

Hike in procurement prices leads to an additional expenditure by the government. Given the overall resources constraint, the additional expenditure comes at the cost of a decline in fixed investments. While this additional expenditure on stocks favours only rice and wheat (as it is the procurement price of these two crops that has been raised considerably year after year), the decline in fixed investments adversely affects the demand for many non-agricultural sectors.

Distortions in cropping pattern

As pointed out in the Report on Currency and Finance, 2001-02, the agricultural price policy of the government has led to distortions in the cropping pattern. This is because the MSP of rice and wheat (particularly of wheat) has generally been higher than the cost of production. This has made the cultivation of rice and wheat more attractive than pulses and coarse cereals leading to a diversion of area towards them.

Bias in favour of large farmers

Increases in MSP and procurement prices over the years have acted as an incentive to producers to increase their output. However, most of the benefits have been cornered by the large farmers who could implement the new agricultural strategy and easily obtain credit and other inputs.

Economically Unsustainable

The economic cost of procured rice comes to about Rs 37/kg and that of wheat is around Rs 27/kg. However, rice and wheat market prices are much lower than the economic cost incurred by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Due to this, the FCI’s economic burden is touching Rs 3 lakh crore. This amount eventually will have to be borne by the Union government and may subsequently lead to divergence of funds from being invested in agriculture infrastructure.

HOW CAN INDIA ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF CROPS PROCUREMENT?

DEFICIENCY PAYMENT

• Making MSP a legal entitlement makes it a justifiable right, and there are two ways of ensuring this. The first is through physical procurement by the government. The second is to allow farmers to sell in the private market and if they get a lower price than MSP, then to reimburse the difference between the two. Such a payment is called ‘deficiency payment (DP)’.
• Procurement is the best option for ensuring MSP. However, there are two major constraints to this physical storage capacity and administrative capability (governance), limiting the quantum of procurement. Thus, farmers also need to be supported through DPs.

DIRECT PAYMENTS

• It is important to explore other options that may be fiscally prudent and administratively convenient. One such is direct payments to farmers. However, a different approach is needed for non-staple food commodities. For many of non-staple commodities, MSPs are announced with little or no procurement. This is really ineffective. Thus, a gradual movement to an income-based support system is needed. PM-KISAN is currently attempting this, but the support under the programme is grossly inadequate.

GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT COME OUT FROM THIS MECHANISM

• However, it needs to be noted that during the Covid-19 crisis as well as earlier food crises in 1975 and 2008, India’s buffer stock system served the country exceedingly well. There is also a large PDS of 80 crore beneficiaries to cater to. Thus, the MSP procurement system needs to be continued for staple food grains and, if possible, be extended to pulses.

Apart from the above measures, the agriculture sector needs some more measures for a permanent solution

• Devise ways to address price- and production-related risks. In addition to insurance and immediate relief for crop loss, the government can make a “deficiency price payment” when prices crash. Under such a system, farmers get the difference between the market price and a pre-agreed price that will act as a form of price insurance. Restructure the marketing framework to allow free movement of farm products.
• Connect the lab to the field: agriculture cannot grow without modern scientific research.
• Pay attention to resource-use efficiency in water and fertilizers. Increase irrigation-related investments in rain-fed areas as the monsoon uncertainties are here to stay.
• Undertake long-term research on how the crop cycle can be aligned with the changing monsoon. Improve availability of early maturing, drought resistant and short duration crops that can handle weather uncertainties.
• Provide alternative jobs to farmers as it is difficult to earn a living from small pieces of land (average land holding is a little over one hectare in India). Liberalize land lease markets as small farms are not viable. Inject funds into rural India to kick-start demand. Announce a package that can revive wage employment by creating rural infrastructure.
• Bring extension services back on the agenda. Farmers need to know about better seeds, proper use of fertilizers, and access to better technologies. Information and communications technology-based services like kisan call centres aren’t enough.
• Make crop insurance more effective. Increase penetration and subsidize premiums so that farmers can avail insurance; carry out damage assessment at the field level to settle claims.

THE CONCLUSION: public procurement needs to continue for staple cereals, but farmers of non-staple food crops need to be provided with direct income transfers, these are fiscally prudent, obviate the need for physical procurement and storage by the government, do not distort current production, and provide a basic income to farmers. These will also address the main concern over the recent farm laws related to the vulnerability of small and marginal farmers and may help these farmers to avoid distress sales.

JUST ADD TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE

ALL ABOUT MSP

MSP

• It is a form of market intervention by the Government of India to insure agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices.
• A guarantee price for farmers produces from the government.

Objectives of MSP?

• To protect the producer – farmers – against excessive fall in price during bumper production years.
• To support the farmers from distress sales and to procure food grains for public distribution.
• If market price for the commodity falls below the announced minimum price due to bumper production and glut in the market, government agencies purchase the entire quantity offered by the farmers at the announced minimum price.

History of MSP

• First time announced by the Government of India in 1966-67  for the wheat in the wake of the Green Revolution and extended harvest, to save the farmers from depleting profits.

How MSP is decided?

The government decides the support prices for various agricultural commodities after taking into account the following:

• Recommendations of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices
• Views of State Governments
• Views of Ministries
• Other relevant factors
• Fixing the MSP Policy

Current status

26 commodities are currently covered.

They are as follows.

• Cereals (7) – Paddy, Wheat, Barley, Jowar, Bajra, Maize And Ragi
• Pulses (5) – Gram, Arhar/Tur, Moong, Urad And Lentil
• Oilseeds (8) – Groundnut, Rapeseed/Mustard, Toria, Soyabean, Sunflower Seed, Sesamum, Safflower Seed And Niger seed
• Copra
• De-Husked Coconut
• Raw Cotton
• Raw Jute
• Sugarcane (Fair And Remunerative Price)
• Virginia Flu Cured (VFC) Tobacco

Point to be noted

• Sugarcane is a kharif crop.
• 60% of India’s food grain and oilseeds grown in Kharif Season.

WHAT IS PROCUREMENT PRICE

• At this price FCI will purchase foodgrain for PDS distribution system.
• Procurement prices always higher than MSP.

OPEN ENDED PROCUREMENT (CONDUCTED BY FCI)

For Wheat and Rice (Conducted)

Government will buy AT MSP, from any farmer who comes forward to sell. (even if market prices are running higher than MSP)

other crops (not conducted)

Government will buy ONLY when their prices fall below MSP in open market.