Unions reject govt’s proposals as ‘meaningless amendments’

Unions reject govt’s proposals as ‘meaningless amendments’

Say Talks Only If Repeal Of Agri Laws On Agenda

Vishwa Mohan & Neel Kamal

New Delhi/Bathinda:24.12.2020

Rejecting the Centre’s proposals as “meaningless amendments”, agitating farm unions on Wednesday said talks could restart only if repeal of the three new agri laws was on the agenda. They also demanded the Centre to revise the cost of production to increase support price.

The unions wrote to the agriculture ministry saying they were ready for talks only if the Centre came out with a “concrete proposal” without repeating proposed changes to the farm laws offered earlier.

The unions iterated the demand for legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), saying this should be on the agenda and drew attention to the National Commission on Farmers’ recommendation on support price on a higher slab of cost of production.

The demand for a revised procurement price is significant as this entails the C2 plus 50% formula which includes imputed rent and interest on owned land and capital. As per the current formula, actual paid cost of inputs and imputed value of family labour are taken into consideration for arriving at a “costs plus 50%” calculation.’

Farmers take part in the agitation at Delhi’s Singhu border on Wednesday

₹18kcr to farmers under PM-Kisan

PM will release more than ₹18,000 crore to over nine crore farmers under the ‘income support’ scheme (PM-Kisan) on Friday. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the event will be held at every development block across the country and two crore farmers have registered for it.

BJP leader now challenges party

BJP’s Birender Singh has said those claiming some “elements” raised pro-Khalistan slogans at farmers’ stir must prove it or apologise. The Congress, meanwhile on Wednesday, asked the PM to shed his arrogance and repeal the farm laws to end the stalemate.

‘We don’t want charity, we want remunerative price of produce’

While a legal guarantee for MSP has been part of the demand, the unions want this on the agenda along with repeal of laws for talks to resume.

They also said the Essential Commodities Act was not mentioned by the Centre nor was there any clarity on the Electricity Bill, 2020.

“Farmers want repeal of the laws. Half-hearted amendments are not acceptable,” said Yogendra Yadav, leader of Swaraj India. This, the group of farm leaders said, was made clear during the meeting with Union ministers on December 5, and then again when the Centre sent draft proposals on December 9. The farmers said it was up to the Union government to make up its mind and come up with a “concrete proposal”.

Though the unions, opposed to the farm laws, have been demanding a legal guarantee for MSP for a long time, their six-point letter made it more pointed with the farm leaders emphasising, “Hame daan nahin, daam chahiye (we don’t want charity, we want remunerative price of produce).”

“We want to assure you that protesting farmers and unions are ready for talks with the government and we are waiting for the government to take the discussion forward with an open mind and clear intention,” farmer leader Darshan Pal said in the letter on behalf of the group of 40 unions.

Responding to the ministry’s December 9 proposals and its follow-up letter of December 20, Pal said, “We urge you to send us concrete proposals, without repeating the already rejected amendments, so that it can be made an agenda to resume discussion as early as possible.”

The letter is an indication that the unions are not keen to renew negotiations unless it is on their demand for repeal of farm laws even as the Centre has made it plain that the Acts are part of larger reforms to provide farmers choice of market, access to technology and to encourage entrepreneurship.

Full report on www.toi.in

BALL IN CENTRE’S COURT: The farmers said it was up to the Union government to make up its mind and come up with a “concrete proposal”