West Bengal Sets New MSP for Potatoes at Rs 900 per Quintal
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Synopsis
West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a new minimum support price for potatoes set at Rs 900 per quintal to support farmers. The decision came during a cabinet meeting, aiming to prevent distress sales. The government also plans to purchase affected crops and has allocated Rs 321 crore for crop insurance.
Key Takeaways
- New MSP for Potatoes: Rs 900 per quintal.
- Support for Farmers: Preventing distress sales.
- Water Release Issue: DVC criticized for lack of communication.
- Crop Insurance Fund: Rs 321 crore created.
- Jagannath Temple Inauguration: Scheduled for April 30.
Kolkata, Feb 25 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, declared on Tuesday that the state government has established a new minimum support price for potatoes at Rs 900 per quintal.
This resolution was made during a state cabinet meeting held at the state Secretariat, Nabanna.
"Our decision to set the new minimum support price for potatoes at Rs 900 per quintal is aimed at supporting potato farmers and preventing them from having to engage in distress sales of their produce," Banerjee stated to the press after the meeting.
During this event, the Chief Minister also criticized the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for releasing water from its dams supposedly without notifying the state government, asserting that this water release has negatively impacted potato crops in the fields.
She explained that the state government will purchase the affected potatoes from farmers to ensure they do not incur any losses. "To assist farmers, the state government has allocated a corpus of Rs 321 crore for providing crop insurance," she added.
Additionally, the Chief Minister announced that during the cabinet meeting, it was resolved that the inauguration of the new Jagannath Temple in Digha, located in the East Midnapore district and inspired by the famous Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, will occur on April 30, coinciding with Akshaya Tritiya.
"We have also decided to include representatives from various religious and charitable trusts in the board of trustees for the temple," she stated.
Recently, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, questioned the Chief Minister's assertions regarding the Digha temple's resemblance to the Puri temple and asked for clarification on why the proposed temple at Digha is referred to as the “Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre” instead of the "Shree Shree Jagannath Temple".
