Swami Ramdev And Acharya Balkrishna On Farm Laws: MSP Is Not So Complicated

In an exclusive conversation with BTTV's Managing Editor Siddharth Zarabi, Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, MD of Patanjali Ayurved, share their insights on MSP (Minimum Support Price), agricultural reforms, and agricultural laws. They also discuss what the new NDA 3.0 government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, should do for farmers. Acharya Balkrishna emphasizes that MSP is not as complicated an issue as it seems. He suggests that before implementing MSP, a strong mechanism should be established to ensure its effectiveness. He highlights the problem of crops from other states being transported to states where MSP is implemented, resulting in those crops being sold at MSP rates. For instance, when MSP was set for paddy in Punjab last year, paddy from other states was brought in to be sold at MSP rates. According to Balkrishna, MSP is not very critical if it is centralized and implemented with proper monitoring and landholding checks. He stresses the need for a comprehensive, centralized approach to MSP across the entire country. Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev believes that the idea that agricultural laws will drastically change the condition of farmers is secondary. He calls for fundamental changes to improve the prosperity of farmers, such as increasing crop yield and reducing costs. Ramdev insists that farmers should have access to good quality and affordable seeds, effective fertilizers, and necessary insecticides or pesticides. He advocates for the benefits to go to the farmers, not the corporate world. Ramdev highlights the need for an integrated approach with real, ground-level changes rather than just new laws. He also stresses the importance of proper crop management and encouraging progressive and commercial crops that have higher value. He envisions India becoming capable of meeting the world's food requirements but warns that crop wastage must be prevented. According to Ramdev, significant benefits and changes for farmers cannot be achieved through laws alone; real, on-the-ground actions are necessary.Join the discussion to gain insights into Swami Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna's perspectives on the current agricultural landscape and the future direction of India's agricultural policies under Modi's leadership.