Abstract

India is an agrarian economy where more than 50% of the population is dominated by agriculture. India is an agrarian economy where more than 50% of the population is dominated by agriculture. India’s vision of Atmanirbhar Gramin Bharat is mostly seen in the form of Minimum Support Price. The M.S. Swaminathan’s Commission initially discussed MSP and its importance for the wellbeing of the farmers of the nation due to the rising number of farmer suicides in the country in 2004. While MSP is intended to ensure fair prices for farmers, there remains a persistent mismatch between state-proposed and centrally-approved prices of MSP. This has left many farmers selling below the actual cost of the crop. This paper, through a socio-legal study of Maharashtra explores how the current system of Minimum Support Price (MSP) which is designed to safeguard rural incomes has become a source of agrarian distress. While state governments propose MSPs based on real costs and fair profit margins, central approvals often fall far short, which raises many concerns for the farmers. This gap between policy and price reality pushes farmers into debt, which leads to loss of land through Non-Performing Assets, and has contributed to alarming suicide rates. The paper particularly studies regions like Vidarbha and Marathwada where alarming suicides have occurred due to this pertaining issue. The lack of enforceable MSP laws and the absence of institutional redressal mechanisms undermine rural sustainability. The study proposes legal and policy reforms to ensure pricing justice, reduce farmer dependency, and enable true rural self-reliance. It shall be the vision of India for building a sustainable, self-reliant rural Bharat rooted in justice, dignity, and human values.

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