New Delhi, April 27 -- The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre, Punjab and Haryana governments on a plea seeking to fix the minimum support price (MSP), including the increase of the same from time to time for the alternative crops grown by farmers and procurement of the same by the government.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan issued a notice to the Centre, States of Punjab, and Haryana, pollution control boards, agriculture Universities, and ICAR and asked them to file their replies.

The bench has now posted the matter for hearing in the second week of July.

The petition by advocate Charanpal Singh Bagri sought to fix the minimum support price for "alternative crops" higher than the MSP of paddy. ...