Lauding the cabinet’s decision to increase the MSP for all the mandated Rabi crops for the marketing season 2025-26, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asserted that his government is constantly making big decisions for the welfare of farmers in the country.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister, has approved the increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all mandated Rabi Crops for Marketing Season 2025-26.

According to the release, the government has increased the MSP of Rabi crops for marketing season 2025-26, to ensure remunerative prices to the growers for their produce.

The absolute highest increase in MSP has been announced for rapeseed and mustard at Rs 300 per quintal followed by Lentil (Masur) at Rs 275 per quintal.

“For gram, wheat, safflower and barley, there is an increase of Rs 210 per quintal, Rs 150 per quintal, Rs 140 per quintal and Rs 130 per quintal respectively,” the government release said.

Thanking the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Union Cabinet is dedicated to farmers as it has approved the increase in MSP of rabi crops for the 2025-26 season.  

The Union Home Minister said the Union Cabinet’s decision to increase the MSP of six rabi crops will increase the income of farmers and they will become even more prosperous.

“The MSP of rapeseed and mustard has been increased by the highest Rs 300 per quintal and the MSP of lentil has also been increased significantly by Rs 275 per quintal. These increased MSPs will enhance the income of farmers. Our farmers will become even more prosperous,” he said in a post on X.

The government said in its release that the increase in MSP for mandated Rabi crops for marketing season 2025-26 is in line with the Union Budget 2018-19 announcement of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times of the all-India weighted average cost of production.

The expected margin over all-India weighted average cost of production is 105 percent for wheat, followed by 98 percent for rapeseed & mustard; 89 per cent for lentil; 60 per cent for gram; 60 percent for barley; and 50 percent for safflower.

This increased MSP of rabi crops will ensure remunerative prices to the farmers and incentivise crop diversification, as per the release.

 A helicopter carrying Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had to make an emergency landing in Uttrakhand’s Munsiyari due to bad weather on Wednesday.

Pithoragarh District Magistrate Vinod Girish Goswami said the chopper, which was on its way to Milam Glacier, left at around 1 pm.

However, due to the cloudy weather and low visibility, it landed on a helipad in Ralam village, 42 km away, at around 1.30 pm, he said.

Additional Chief Election Officer of Uttarakhand Vijay Kumar Jogdande is with the CEC, he said.

There were three people on board the helicopter apart from the pilot. They are all safe and waiting for the weather to clear up to return to Munsiyari, the DM said.

They have the necessary communication equipment including satellite phones, he added.

“I have talked to the CEC twice. They are all safe. If the weather clears up, they will be taken back to Munsiyari and if it does not, they will rest at the ITBP camp near Ralam,” the DM said.

On Tuesday, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the upcoming Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections.

Maharashtra will vote in a single phase on November 20, while Jharkhand will witness voting in two phases on November 13 and November 20. The counting of the votes will take place on November 23, according to ECI. 

Addressing the media on Tuesday, CEC Kumar said that the date of issue of Gazette notification for the Maharashtra Assembly election is October 22, and the last date for filing nominations is October 29. He added that the date for scrutiny of nominations will be October 30 and the last date for withdrawal of candidates is November 4. 

The 2024 Maharashtra election will see a key contest between the Maha Vikas Aghadi (Shiv Sena-UBT, NCP-Sharad Pawar faction, Congress) and the ruling Mahayuti Alliance (BJP, Shiv Sena-Eknath Shinde faction, NCP-Ajit Pawar faction). 

As the National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday reiterated his party’s commitment to restoring statehood in the Union Territory.

Apart from Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other INDIA alliance leaders, attended the swearing-in ceremony in Srinagar.

Speaking to ANI, Kharge said, “I have come here to congratulate him. We are happy that our alliance partner became the CM and democracy has been established here after a long time. We will ensure that statehood is restored here.”

LoP Rahul Gandhi, who also attended the sworn-in ceremony, extended his congratulations to Omar Abdullah on becoming Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

“However, government formation without statehood felt incomplete today,” Gandhi said in a post on X.

“Democracy was snatched from the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and today we renew our pledge to continue our fight until statehood is fully restored,” the Leader of Opposition said.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond swiftly to the people’s mandate and restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.

“The people have given their mandate to restore the status of the state. It was our first agenda. The PM also made this commitment to restore the state after the delimitation, and then the election. The formation of a cabinet (in J&K) is the third step. We would want the PM to respond as soon as possible to the mandate of the people. We want to say that give us the state, we will run the cabinet,” Mir said speaking to ANI.

Earlier, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said that the people here have been witnessing a difficult time after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and now the new government must bring in its first resolution concerning it.

“I congratulate the people of Jammu and Kashmir on getting a stable government after a long time. J-K has been facing a difficult time since August 2019 (after the abrogation of Article 370). They have given a mandate with great hope thinking that the wrong decision taken will be condemned on the floor of the House,” said Mufti.

The central government led by the Prime Minister had in August 2019 repealed Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, effectively ending the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir.