MP leading contributor to India's pulses output

Bhopal, Mar 5 (UNI) The Madhya Pradesh government today informed the Assembly that the state was now among the leading contributors to India's output of pulses, gram and soybean.

Replying to a discussion on budgetary demands, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Gopal Bhargav said, ''the break-up is soybean 54.41 per cent, gram 24.32 per cent, pulses 24.14 and oilseeds 20.44 per cent.'' Dissatisfied with the Minister's reply, the opposition staged a walkout. Expressing displeasure over repeated intervention by Mr Ramlakhan Sharma (Communist Party of India-Marxist), Speaker Ishwardas Rohani expunged his remarks.

''Not a single farmer committed suicide in this state over the past four years. The Centre tried to affect Madhya Pradesh's fertiliser supply but the state government imported fertiliser for timely supply to peasants. Cooperative banks have come out of the red,'' the Minister claimed. After his reply, budgetary demands exceeding Rs 606 crore were passed.

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