NEW DELHI, July 15:Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism is not the only tool to help farmers double their income, Lok Sabha was told on Monday and the government also asserted that encouraging in production and use of ethanol can also sustain long term higher incomes.
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said this in Lok Sabha during Question Hour.
Answering to supplementary queries, he sought to make a veiled attack on the political opponents and said some people may believe MSP is the only way to help farmers, but the government is not convinced of such an idea.
That is why he explained since 2014, the Modi government has taken steps to help augment ethanol production in the country and its usage.
The ethanol production was about one per cent only when BJP-led NDA regime took over power in 2014, but now that has gone up to six per cent, he said.
The Minister also said the government is encouraging farmers to enhance ethanol production from rotten potatoes, rotten wheat and other bio mass.
“Our policy to encourage ethanol will not help the middlemen who tried to push ethanol import,” Mr Pradhan said.
Lately Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari advocated for enhanced use of ethanol to make environment pollution free.
Mr Gadkari at a function on July 12 said that to help reduce India’s Rs 7 lakh crore oil import bill, his ministry may take up with the Petroleum Ministry for necessary nod to allow opening of ethanol pumps.
(UNI)
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