MINIMUM SUPPORT  PRICE (MSP) FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE    - FEW INSIGHTS FOR TAKING APPROPRIATE DECISIONS Background: Then UPA Government under the leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh appointed Dr. M S Swaminathan committee to look into the issues related to farmers and how to bring them out of agrarian crisis. The committee had gone into the details and recommended to revise MSP calculations considering cost of production plus 50% and protect farmer’s interests, so that farming will be a viable option with decent livelihoods. For some reasons, though the recommendations were presented and considered, could not be implemented before 2014 general elections. The PIL filed by few farmers’ organisations asking Supreme Court to direct GOI to implement the committee report was kept aside by stating that court cannot direct government to implement the policy decisions. The present NDA government under Sri Narendra Modi leadership recently took up the task of “ DOUBLING FARMERS INCO

EMPOWERING RURAL POOR- GROUND REALITIES Global Perspective: Look at African continent, even after several decades of independence there is no significant improvement in poverty situation. International agencies are dumping food, medicines etc, but not the resources required for their sustainable development. The colonial rulers are replaced by their dark skinned counterparts and the loot is being continued under the cover of self rule controlled by colonial white Sahibs. It’s clear the developed world seldom give them fish to eat but not willing to teach them how to fish. Despite so much of external aid, the Bangladesh poverty more or less remains the same. It is shocking to hear from horse mouth (an international gender development consultant) that the NGOs guest houses in Bangladesh are of minimum 4 star hotel standards located in prime locations with lakefronts etc and run into 200 to 300 rooms capacity.   It is clearly evident that the international aid is being us