The National Commission on Farmers has drafted new policy for farmers. MS Swaminathan, the chairperson of the commission, have submitted its final report to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Self-sufficiency of foods has got more importance than other agricultural issues in the report.
The report has suggested to establish a national food security and sovereignty board under the chair of the prime minister. Swaminathan says that importing the food items is not the permanent solution.
Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are responsible for 80 per cent of the country’s food but now going through the worst agricultural crisis ever.
The report has some more suggestions such as-
# To put agricultural issues in the Concurrent List of the Constitution,
# Government of India should prepare the policies on prices, credit, trade, the Protection of Plant Varieties, Farmers Rights Act, the Biodiversity Act and the Food Bill,
# To establish universal public distribution system (PDS),
# To expand the scope of minimum support price to cover all crops, linking crop diversification programme with minimum support price,
# To establish a market risk stabilisation fund to protect farmers during periods of violent price fluctuations,
# To create an agricultural risk fund to insulate farmers from climatic aberrations,
# To widen the scope of agricultural insurance,
# To set up of an Indian trade organisation,
# To set up farmers’ commissions by states to serve as the voice of farmers and as think-tanks to advise the states.
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