Government has raised the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat by Rs 50 to Rs 1,450 per quintal. It also hiked MSP of Barley by Rs 50, Gram by Rs 75 and masur by Rs 175 per quintal. It also hiked the MSP of mustard by Rs 50 per quintal and fixed it at Rs 3100 per quintal. Decisions in this regard were taken at the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in New Delhi.It is aimed at encouraging farmers to cover more area under the crop in the current Rabi season. MSP is the rate at which the government purchases farm produce.The CCEA also approved the acquisition of Polar Research Vessel by the Ministry of Earth Sciences at a total cost of over Rs 1051 crore within a period of 34 months. The vessel can not only perform dual functions of research and logistics in the polar region but also serve as a research platform for scientists to undertake scientific research in the ocean realm including the Southern Ocean.