Nirmala Sitharaman Criticizes UPA Over MSP Implementation During Budget Reply

By A Staff Reporter

Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her reply to the budget discussion in the Lok Sabha, took a strong stance against the previous UPA government for not implementing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) recommendation made by the National Commission on Farmers in 2006.

Sitharaman highlighted that the commission had recommended MSP be set at 50% more than the weighted average cost of production. She stated, "This was not accepted by the UPA government. The cabinet note drafted in July 2007 indicated that the MSP is recommended by the CACP based on objective criteria, and setting an increase of at least 50% on the cost could cause market distortions."

She added that despite acknowledging the complexity and potential market impacts, the UPA government ultimately rejected the MS Swaminathan report in 2007. "The Congress Party can go on shedding crocodile tears about farmers, but no implementation was done in the last 10 years," Sitharaman asserted, criticizing the Congress Party for their inaction during their tenure.