Govt-farmer meeting ends; Next round on Jan 19

Govt-farmer meeting ends; Next round on Jan 19

NEW DELHI: The government on Friday urged farmer unions to form an informal group among themselves and prepare concrete proposals that will be taken up for discussion in the next meeting.
Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that detailed discussions took place at the ninth round of talks but could not reach a decisive stage.
The two sides, therefore, decided to meet again on January 19 at 12 pm, Tomar told reporters after the end of the meeting that lasted for nearly five hours.
“Talks took place over three farm laws in a cordial atmosphere and detailed discussions took place on some issues, but couldn’t reach a decisive stage,” he said.
“We suggested they can form an informal group of people who can understand the laws better and prepare some concrete proposals, detailing what are farmers’ expectations and what clauses are problematic for them, which the government can consider with an open mind,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, protesting farmer unions stuck to their demand for a complete repeal of three contentious farm laws at their ninth round of talks with three central ministers.
The government, however, asked the farmer unions to be more flexible in their approach and expressed willingness for necessary amendments, as the two sides decided to meet again on January 19.
Farmer leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan said told reporters after the meeting that the unions urged the government to repeal the three laws, but the Centre was unwilling to do so.
“We decided to meet again on January 19 at 12 pm,” he said.
Ugrahan said the union leaders also raised the issue of NIA raids on transporters in Punjab who are supporting farmers’ protests and were providing logistic support for the agitation.
At the meeting that lasted for nearly five hours, including a lunch break, farmers unions said they are committed to continuing holding direct talks to resolve the over-one-month-long deadlock over three agri laws, even as a committee has been formed by the Supreme Court to resolve the deadlock.
Besides Tomar, railways, commerce and food minister Piyush Goyal and minister of state for commerce Som Parkash were part of the government side talking with representatives of around 40 farmer unions at the Vigyan Bhawan here.
“Both the government and farmer unions have reaffirmed their commitment to continue with the direct dialogue process,” All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee member Kavita Kuruganti, who is part of the meeting, said.
Farmer leader Darshan Pal said there was a good discussion on all three laws. “There is a possibility of some resolution. We are positive,” he added.
Another leader Rakesh Tikait said: “Government has told us that solution should be found through dialogue and not a court.
Everyone is of the same views. There is a possibility of some solution.”
Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various border points of Delhi for over a month now against the three laws.
On January 8, the eighth round of meeting had remained inconclusive as the Centre ruled out repealing the three contentious laws claiming nationwide support for the reforms. However, farmer leaders had said that they were ready to fight till death and their ‘ghar waapsi’ would happen only after ‘law waapsi’.
In the sixth round held on December 30 last year, some common ground was reached on two demands — decriminalisation of stubble-burning and continuation of power subsidies.
Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms aimed at increasing farmers’
income, but the protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislations would weaken the minimum support price (MSP) and “mandi” (wholesale market) systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.
The government has maintained that these apprehensions are misplaced and has ruled out a repeal of the laws. The Supreme
Court on January 11 had stayed the implementation of the three laws till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse. Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann, however, on Thursday recused himself from the committee.
Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra) president Anil Ghanwat, International Food Policy Research Institute’s Pramod Kumar Joshi and agriculture economist Ashok Gulati are the other three members on the panel.
—PTI

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