Swami Nathan committee report not implemented properly : BJD MP Dr. Sasmit Patra

New Delhi : Swami Nathan Committee report has not been implemented properly in the country. In the Rajya Sabha, BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patel has put the information on the Swaminathan Commission report. He said the Swaminathan Commission’s report had not been implemented by the central government. But the BJP has demanded that the report be implemented. But the central government is reluctant to accept it, he said. BJD MP Sasmit Patel also asked why the Biju Janata Dal is claiming the status of the Swaminathan Commission in the country.I rise to speak on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address today. I had decided to speak on some specific issues but yesterday my elder brother and Union Minister Shri. Dharmendra Pradhan ji for whom I have great respect advised me yesterday, during his Speech in the Rajya Sabha, to place in my address today details as to why Biju Janata Dal strongly claims that the Swaminathan Commission Report has not been implemented by the Centre, while the Centre claims that it has.

Speech of BJD Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Sasmit Patra

Hon’ble Chairperson Maam,

I rise to speak on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address today. I had decided to speak on some specific issues but yesterday my elder brother and Union Minister Shri. Dharmendra Pradhan ji for whom I have great respect advised me yesterday, during his Speech in the Rajya Sabha, to place in my address today details as to why Biju Janata Dal strongly claims that the Swaminathan Commission Report has not been implemented by the Centre, while the Centre claims that it has.

Therefore, considering his request I felt it prudent to share facts and details pertaining to why the Biju Janata Dal feels that the Government of India has not implemented the Swaminathan Commission Report.

Maam, before going into the details let me place before you what Shri. Swaminathan ji himself has stated in October, 2020 last year. He had stated and I quote “ When we recommended the 50% increase on cost of production, we meant the C2 as the total cost of production.” From his statement itself its clear that Shri. Swaminathan ji himself is not accepting the fact that the Swaminathan Commission report has been fully implemented nor have the recommendations in the Swaminathan Commission report been implemented as the 1.5 times increase in MSP has not been done on the C2- Cost of Production.

So, what is this C2- Cost of Production as per the Swaminathan Commission report. There are three components of cost of production of farming. First is A2 which deals with the out of pocket expenses of a farmer such as the seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. that he purchases. The second component is A2 + FL which includes the cost of A2 and includes Family Labour (FL) i.e. the cost of the human labour that the farmer and his family contributes to the farming. The third component is C2 which is the total of A2+FL as well as includes the opportunity cost of land, the interest for the loans taken by the farmer as well as the imputed rentals for the land.

Swaminathan Commission Report had asked the Government to implement the Minimum Support Price (MSP) at 1.5 times of this C2 value but the Government has not done that. Let me further prove it with facts and data from the Government. These costs of production for all crops are determined by the Commission for Agricultural Prices and Costs (CACP) and in 2018-19 Kharif Season as per page-98 of the CACP document, where the C2 cost of production for Paddy was fixed at Rs. 1560 per quintal. If the Swaminathan Commission Report was actually implemented then the MSP would have been fixed at 1.5 times of Rs. 1560 per quintal totalling Rs. 2340 per quintal. Instead, the MSP was fixed in 2018-19 at Rs. 1750 per quintal, thereby clearly proving that the Swaminathan Committee report has not been implemented in full. This Rs. 1750 per quintal MSP for paddy was arrived at after increasing the A2+FL cost of Rs. 1166 by 1.5 times. Instead of increasing the MSP on A2+FL, the Government should have increased it on C2. This is where the Swaminathan Commission report has not been implemented. This is what the Biju Janata Dal has been demanding that the Swaminathan Commission report be implemented in full with the increase of 1.5 times on C2 cost of production be undertaken.

However, though the BJP friends here are more concerned in looking at MSP at a range of Rs.1800 to 2000, I must thank the BJP MLAs of Odisha who have been far more forthwith for the farmers. In 2018, there was a unanimous resolution passed in the Odisha Legislative Assembly where the BJD, BJP, Congress and Communist Party MLAs came together and demanded that the MSP for paddy be fixed at Rs. 2930 per quintal. This was done with reference to increasing the MSP by 1.5 times from C2 value of Rs. 1560 per quintal totalling Rs. 2340 and adding 25% of land cost on this amount, the value arrived at is Rs. 2930 MSP on paddy per quintal. If the BJP MLAs in Odisha can be so positive and demand Rs. 2930 MSP on paddy per quintal then why are the BJP party in the Parliament not wanting to implement the Swaminathan Commission Report?