TDP demands implementation of Swaminathan Committee report

Jaggayyapeta, May 28 (UNI) United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) Convenor and TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu today demanded the Centre to implement the M S Swaminathan Committee report, which recommended enhancement of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all agricultural produce.

Addressing a gathering here, Mr Naidu said the UNPA had conducted several farmers' rallies across the country to mount pressure on the Centre to increase the MSP for paddy to Rs 1,000 per quintal.

He claimed that the agitations launched by the UNPA on this issue had prompted Union Agricultural Minister Sharad Pawar to announce recently that the paddy farmers, like their 'wheat-producing brethren,' would get a good remunerative price for their produce from this agricultural season and a decision on this would be taken in eight to ten days.

Mr Naidu said the 'meekosam yatra' was launched by him for the sake of the poor. ''The 150-day yatra will help me to understand the problems faced by women, weavers and artisans so that it can be addressed by the party after it was voted to power.

Criticising the Centre and the state government for not controlling the spiralling prices, Mr Naidu said that during its nine-year tenure, the TDP Government had taken effective steps to see that the prices of essential commodities were kept under control.

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