NEW DELHI: As a pre-Diwali bonanza, the Centre on Wednesday chose to hike Minimum Support Price (MSP) for key rabi crops for the year 2025-’26 market season. If that is for the farmers, the Centre also decided to hike the Dearness Allowance (DA)/Dearness Relief (DR) by 3 percent for central government employees and pensioners. This would cost the government a sum of Rs 9,448 crore.In another decision the Union Cabinet gave its nod for constructing a new rail-road bridge on the river Ganga in Varanasi with an outlay of Rs 2,642 crore.Briefing media after the meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, the new MSP rates aim to ensure farmers receive a fair value for their harvests.Vaishnaw said, the MSP for wheat was raised by Rs 150 per quintal, moving from Rs 2,275 to Rs 2,425. Mustard saw an increase of Rs 300 per quintal, bringing its MSP to Rs 5,950, while the MSP for gram rose by Rs 210 to Rs 5,650 per quintal.The Minister informed that the highest MSP hike was given to Rapeseed and Mustard, with a rise of Rs 300 per quintal (from Rs 5,650 to Rs 5,950), followed by Lentil (Masur), which saw an increase of Rs 275 per quintal (from Rs 6,425 to Rs 6,700).“The biggest factor is that the prices should be at least 50 percent above the cost, on that basis, the cost of six Rabi crops has been decided on the basis of projections of CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices),” the Minister said.
Source link
