Congress Emphasizes Parliamentary Push for Agricultural Reforms

The Congress has highlighted recommendations from a parliamentary standing committee, urging legal guarantees for MSP and loan waivers for farmers. The committee also suggests expanding MSP to include organic crops, financial support against stubble burning, crop insurance for small farmers, and improved transparency in agricultural policies.

The Congress party, on Thursday, put a spotlight on the parliamentary standing committee's recommendations advocating for a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) as well as loan waivers for farmers.

According to Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, the Parliament Standing Committee of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Food Processing has put forth its Demand for Grants report for 2025-2026, chaired by Charanjit Channi. Key suggestions include the reinforcement of the legal guarantee for MSP, extending MSP to organic crops, and offering financial help to farmers for managing crop residue to avoid stubble burning.

Ramesh also mentioned the committee's call for universal crop insurance for small-scale farmers and renaming the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to include farm labourers explicitly. Additional proposals involve incentivizing care for non-productive cattle, boosting the procurement limit under the Market Intervention Scheme, and advocating for annual audits of the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan by the Comptroller and Auditor General to foster transparency.

(With inputs from agencies.)