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Chhattisgarh: Congress, BJP try to outdo each other in MSP game

The two parties don’t want to disturb the hopes of farmers for higher MSP and loan waiver. The Congress has promised a loan waiver, the BJP has been mum on it.

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By Neeraj Mishra

The two major contesting parties, the BJP and the Congress, have announced a flurry of sops in their Chhattisgarh manifesto. The primary aim is to woo farmers, the largest chunk of voters. So, when the BJP announced they would procure paddy at Rs 3,100 per quintal, the Congress upped it by stating in its manifesto that they would pay Rs 3,200. Both promise to acquire 20 quintals of paddy per acre against 15 quintals being acquired currently.

Now, therein lies a catch of the magnitude of Rs 10,000 crore. The Congress has been paying Rs 500 as “bonus” for the past five years over and above the procurement price or the Minimum Support Price (MSP) announced by the Government of India. For instance, the MSP last Kharif season was Rs 2,050. So the Bhupesh Baghel government paid Rs 2,550 but the Rs 500 bonus offered by state government is paid in four instalments. This has caused an additional cash burden of Rs 5,000 crore on the state exchequer.

The BJP, which had refused to pay bonus above the MSP in 2018, has fallen in line. It has sensed that the farmer in Chhattisgarh will now not accept anything less than Rs 2,700 per quintal while the MSP stands at Rs 2,150 this season. So gone are the days of MSP in Chhattisgarh while farmers from Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh etc continue to struggle to get even their MSP rate and cash in their accounts on time.

It will indeed be very difficult for either party to stick to their procurement price promise. It will not only mean nearly Rs 1,000 over and above the MSP, but the quantity of procurement will go up by at least 25 per cent. Chhattisgarh had procured a little over 1 lakh tonne paddy last season at 15 quintals per acre. If as promised, the state has to acquire 20 quintals per acre then the total quantity will easily surpass 1.25 lakh tonne even at the current rate of procurement.  This will add more burden on the state exchequer and it remains to be seen if the Central government is willing to shell out money for its share of extra rice. So far it has dilly-dallied over it.

As far as the farmer is concerned, he is not unhappy over getting his due share. At the same time, his expectation from the state have been raised which neither party wants to disturb. The farmer expects full procurement at higher MSP and also loan waiver. Last time, the Congress had promised a loan waiver scheme but had granted it with conditions. The primary condition was that only loans taken from cooperative banks would be waived. So while loans worth Rs 9,000 crore were waived, more than 13 lakh farmers with outstanding loans in the region of Rs 16,000 crore still suffered. This time too, smart farmers had taken loans in the expectation of waiver in an election year. The Congress has promised to waive loans but the BJP has kept mum on the subject.

Eventually will this MSP and loan waiver game make a difference? Will the farmer choose the one who deposits more in his pocket? Only time can tell but every farmer is also a Sahu or Kurmi or Yadav and eventually all things being equal, he will vote his caste. At least that’s what both parties are hoping with their MSP playbook.

India News

Sunita Kejriwal, Atishi meet Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar jail, discuss Delhi governance

AAP had earlier accused the Tihar jail administration of cancelling Sunita Kejriwal’s meeting with Arvind Kejriwal.

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Delhi Chief Minister’s wife Sunita Kejriwal and AAP minister Atishi met Arvind Kejriwal in the Tihar Jail today. After their meeting, both dicussed the specifics of their meeting with CM. They said that the jailed CM was asking about the Delhi governance matter.

Kejriwal is expected to see Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwan Mann tomorrow.

Atishi, who is in charge of six departments in the Delhi Cabinet, said, she visited with the Chief Minister. When she asked how he was doing, he skipped answering her, rather he asked how the work is going in Delhi. He said, not to ask about his condition. During their meet, the Delhhi CM also asked about the school kids that are they getting books? Does Mohalla Clinic have access to medications? Atishi continued.

The Chief Minister said that as summer is approaching, Delhi shouldn’t have any water-related issues. He sent a message to the women of Delhi, saying he is planning to give them Rs 1000.

The Aam Aadmi Party had earlier claimed that Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, was not allowed to see him. However, in a statement, Delhi minister Atishi said that Sunita Kejriwal will see her husband later on in the day and that two people were granted permission, but Sunita ji’s was cancelled. Athishi said, every day, new laws are enacted, she did not have permission, but when their lawyers won this legal battle, she was permitted to see Kejriwal.

AAP’s campaign for the Lok Sabha in the national capital and other states will be led by Mrs. Kejriwal, the party said. The campaign kicked off with a roadshow to support AAP’s candidate for East Delhi, Kuldeep Kumar. This is the first time that Mrs. Kejriwal has entered the political sphere actively.

Party leader Sanjay Singh asserted last week that Atishi’s name was added to the list of visitors for Mr. Kejriwal following the name of Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj.

Meanwhile, in the Delhi Liquor Policy case, Arvind Kejriwal was taken into custody in March. On March 21, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) detained him in connection with a money laundering case. In the same case, Manish Sisodia, his former deputy, is jailed.

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FIR filed against YouTube channel in Punjab for defaming AAP MP Raghav Chadha

The case was filed on the complaint of the son of an AAP candidate from the Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat.

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A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed by Punjab Police against a YouTube channel for allegedly linking Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha to wanted man Vijay Mallya.

The AAP candidate for the Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency, Ashok Pappi Prashar’s son, Vikas Prashar, filed a formal complaint against the YouTube station Capital TV. The complainant held the channel accountable for airing misleading and defamatory content.

The statements/contents of false videos on Capital TV channel and others shall harm the public peace and harmony…and is likely to promote enmity between different groups in the country on grounds of religion, caste, race and community, the complaint said.

In his complaint, Vikas allegedly claimed that the YouTube channel was disseminating misleading information and that it was defaming Raghav Chadha by equating him with Mallya.

Vijay Mallya fled to the UK after taking public money, and similarly, a Rajya Sabha member left for England, claiming it was for eye treatment, according to the FIR, which noted claims made by the YouTube channel.

The AAP leader will reportedly get a vitrectomy in the UK to save the retina from detaching from the eye earlier. According to the research, this disorder, which is characterized by the formation of tiny holes in the retina, is very dangerous for vision and must be treated immediately to prevent irreversible damage.

The channel referred to Chadha as a Khalistani supporter following his encounter with UK MP Preet Gill, according to the complaint.

Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) deals with inciting religious hatred among various groups, Section 469 deals with forgeries, and Section 505 deals with making statements that could incite public disturbances.

The FIR also contains Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, which addresses offenses involving computers.

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Security forces arrest 14 Pakistani nationals with around 86 kg of drugs, worth Rs 600 crore near Gujarat Coast

The Indian Coast Guard took to X and wrote in a breathtaking overnight operation, Indian Coast Guard undertook an intelligence-based anti-narcotics operation at sea on 28 Apr 24. About 86 kg of narcotics which is worth Rs 600 crore has been apprehended along with the arrest of 14 Pakistani nationals.

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The Indian Coast Guard on Sunday announced the interception of a Pakistani vessel laden with 86 kg of narcotics valued at Rs 600 crore. Acting on intelligence, a joint operation involving the Indian Coast Guard, the Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS), and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was launched to combat drug trafficking in the area.

The operation was carried out by the agencies based on intelligence inputs received in the last few days. The Indian Coast Guard took to X and wrote in a breathtaking overnight operation, Indian Coast Guard undertook an intelligence-based anti-narcotics operation at sea on 28 Apr 24.

About 86 kg of narcotics which is worth Rs 600 crore has been apprehended along with the arrest of 14 Pakistani nationals. The operation was an epitome of inter-agency coordination wherein the Indian Coast Guard Anti-terrorism Squad and Narcotics Control Bureau  collaborated seamlessly which resulted in the successful operation.

The ships and aircraft of the Indian Coast Guard had been deployed on concurrent missions to carry out the operation. ICG ship Rajratan, which had Narcitics Control Bureau and Anti Terrorist Squad officials embarked, positively identified the suspect boat.

No amount of evasive maneuvering tactics and resistance employed by the drug laden Pakistani boat could save it from the swift and strong action of ICG ship Rajratan. This operation took place on the basis of a tip-off by the Indian Coast Guard, Narcotics Control Bureau and Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad in the Arabian Sea near the International Maritime Boundary Line.

The operation was the 2nd major anti-narcotics operation carried out by the security forces in the Arabian Sea in 1 month. Earlier on February 26, 5 foreign nationals were held off the Porbandar coast with 3,300 kg of narcotics, including charas. Recently a boat carrying 60 packets of drugs was seized and 6 Pakistani crew members onboard the vessel were arrested off the Gujarat coast in a multi-agency operation in March.

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