Parliament: Congress MP moves calling attention notice to raise paddy procurement issue

NEW DELHI:  Congress MP Amar Singh on Monday morning moved a calling attention notice to raise the issue of paddy procurement and the Minimum Support Price (MSP). The winter session of Parliament is set to resume proceedings today after witnessing constant adjournments in the first week.

Singh, Congress MP in Lok Sabha, filed the calling attention notice under rule 197 of the Rule of Procedure and Conduct of Business demanding answers from the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister regarding the government's failure to procure paddy.

"This year for the first time paddy procurement has been completely de-railed. It is unfortunate that I met the Union Food Minister in July and told him that you need to create space for fresh stock or you will have problems. I met farmers who had been sitting for 10-15 days to simply sell their produce when I toured mandis of my constituency," the Congress MP wrote in a letter addressed to the Secretary General of Lok Sabha.

Singh further said that the promises made to farmers by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government regarding MSP have fallen flat. He said that the delay hurt everyone including farmers, labours, and millers.

"Most of the promises made by the NDA government to farmers such as legal right to MSP have largely been forgotten now. Farm leaders protested in February they were fired upon like terrorists, now farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal decided to do fast unto death he was illegally detained by both Punjab and Central government. These delays and shortages have hurt everyone involved from farmers to artiyas to labour to the millers," the letter read.

The Congress MP demanded the Indian government increase MSP on wheat by Rs 500 given the lower yield and lower earnings this paddy season.

Given the lower yield and lower earnings this paddy season, Government of India should increase the wheat MSP significantly by Rs 400-500," Singh said in the letter.

Meanwhile, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Siva Tiruchi on Monday morning filed an adjournment motion notice in Rajya Sabha to discuss the ongoing violence in Manipur.

The DMK Rajya Sabha MP moved the motion under rule 267 (Notice of Motion for Suspension of rules) with an intention to urge the government to address the Manipur issue. Tiruchi said that the Manipur violence has claimed more than 250 lives and it was crucial to find a solution to the crisis.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore also moved an adjournment motion notice to discuss the need for investigating allegations levelled by the US Justice Department against Billionaire Gautam Adani in connection with "bribery and corruption."

He cited "public interest" as the justification to move the adjournment motion, saying that citizens have the right to know whether their government was "protecting corporate malpractices."

This comes after both houses faced brief sessions in the past week following a ruckus amid the opposition's demand to discuss Adani indictment. The first session of the winter Parliament commenced on November 25, with both Houses getting adjourned fairly early due to disruptions. The winter session will go on till December 20.