'If we honour Swaminathan': Bharat Ratna's daughter says farmers can't be seen as criminals
Madhura Swaminathan made the comment at an event organised by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa to celebrate Bharat Ratna to her father.
- Feb 14, 2024,
- Updated Feb 14, 2024 9:32 AM IST
Madhura Swaminathan, the daughter of late agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan, said India’s farmers cannot be treated as criminals, reacting to news reports of agitating farmers being prevented from reaching Delhi.
Madhura made the comment at an event organised by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa to celebrate Bharat Ratna to her father.
She is the Head of the Economic Analysis Unit at the Indian Statistical Institute.
“According to the newspaper reports, there are jails being prepared for them in Haryana, there are barricades, there are all kinds of things being done to prevent them. These are farmers, they are not criminals. I request all of you, the leading scientists of India, we have to talk to our annadatas, we cannot treat them as criminals. We have to find solutions," she said.
"I think if we have to continue and honour M S Swaminathan we have to take the farmers with us in whatever strategy we’re planning for the future,” she said at the memorial lecture.
What is the Swaminathan Commission that farmers are pushing for? Among the many demands by the protesting farmers, the implementation of the Swaminathan Committee report has been a key point. Swaminathan's National Commission on Farmers submitted a total of five reports between December 2004 and 2006 -- this has three variables to determine the production cost.
A2: Out-of-pocket expenses met by farmers, including loans for fertilisers, fuel, cost of leasing land.
A2+FL: Value of the unpaid labour such as contribution of family members and others, an addition to paid-out cost.
C2: Actual cost of production as it takes into account rent and interest foregone on the land and machinery owned by farmers, in addition to the A2+FL rate.
As per the Commission, the formula to calculate MSP would be: MSP = C2+ 50% of C2
By this, the Swaminathan Commission recommended that the MSP should at least be 50% more than the comprehensive cost.
Madhura Swaminathan, the daughter of late agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan, said India’s farmers cannot be treated as criminals, reacting to news reports of agitating farmers being prevented from reaching Delhi.
Madhura made the comment at an event organised by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa to celebrate Bharat Ratna to her father.
She is the Head of the Economic Analysis Unit at the Indian Statistical Institute.
“According to the newspaper reports, there are jails being prepared for them in Haryana, there are barricades, there are all kinds of things being done to prevent them. These are farmers, they are not criminals. I request all of you, the leading scientists of India, we have to talk to our annadatas, we cannot treat them as criminals. We have to find solutions," she said.
"I think if we have to continue and honour M S Swaminathan we have to take the farmers with us in whatever strategy we’re planning for the future,” she said at the memorial lecture.
What is the Swaminathan Commission that farmers are pushing for? Among the many demands by the protesting farmers, the implementation of the Swaminathan Committee report has been a key point. Swaminathan's National Commission on Farmers submitted a total of five reports between December 2004 and 2006 -- this has three variables to determine the production cost.
A2: Out-of-pocket expenses met by farmers, including loans for fertilisers, fuel, cost of leasing land.
A2+FL: Value of the unpaid labour such as contribution of family members and others, an addition to paid-out cost.
C2: Actual cost of production as it takes into account rent and interest foregone on the land and machinery owned by farmers, in addition to the A2+FL rate.
As per the Commission, the formula to calculate MSP would be: MSP = C2+ 50% of C2
By this, the Swaminathan Commission recommended that the MSP should at least be 50% more than the comprehensive cost.