In the 4th Year of Modi's Transparency Promise, No Report from the MSP Committee, 53 Lakh Spent

Nearly four years have passed since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to form a committee to make the Minimum Support Price (MSP) more effective and transparent. However, the committee in question has not produced a single report shared with the public to date. Despite this, it has emerged that the committee spent approximately 54 lakh rupees (around 5.4 million rupees) solely on meetings. In responses to Right to Information (RTI) applications, no details were shared regarding the minutes and content of the dozens of meetings held by the committee. This situation has seriously called into question the Indian government's commitment to transparency in its agricultural policies.

The committee in question was officially established on 18 July 2022 and is headed by Sanjay Agarwal. Since its establishment, the committee has held six main meetings and 42 different consultations conducted through sub-committees. The most recent meeting of the committee was held on the 14th of May this year. The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) refused to share the minutes of the meetings, citing that the discussions were highly confidential and were conducted only with the participation of the chairman and members. This justification for secrecy drew heavy criticism from both opposition politicians and civil society organizations.

Details regarding the committee's expenses have also succeeded in drawing public attention. According to information obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the committee incurred a total expenditure of 53 lakh 97 thousand 280 rupees up until the 17th of May. A surprising detail is that the cost of a single meeting held on 2 April was 62 thousand 380 rupees. The lack of any visible results or reports, despite the expenditure of such large amounts of state resources, raises concerns regarding financial oversight and accountability. Chairman Sanjay Agarwal, on the other hand, has avoided answering any questions directed at him.

In the background of this incident lie the massive farmer protests that took place in India and resonated worldwide. Three farm laws introduced to the Lok Sabha in June 2020, which were claimed to increase farmers' incomes, triggered widespread and intense demonstrations across the country. Protesters intensified their demonstrations, demanding that the government provide a legal guarantee for the MSP. Following the escalation of the protests and their transformation into a political crisis, Prime Minister Modi was forced to announce to the public in November 2021 that these three laws would be repealed. The committee established subsequently was launched with high hopes to promote natural farming, change cropping patterns, and strengthen the MSP system.

Within the committee, a total of 27 members serve, excluding the chairman. However, the identities of the members and their individual stances in the meetings are also largely unknown to the public. Media organizations such as Newslaundry, which previously brought the issue to the agenda through similar RTI responses, regularly report on the panel's lack of concrete steps over the years. Farmer unions and activists claim that the committee is actually a stalling tactic used by the government to buy time and cool down public backlash regarding agricultural reforms. Since the future of Indian agriculture and the livelihood of millions of farmers are at stake, the committee's silence brings about a major debate on public interest.