Farmer unions accept government's invitation for dialogue on Dec 30, puts up four-point agenda for talks
Dec 29, 2020
New Delhi [India], December 29 : The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a joint front of almost 40 farmer organizations on Tuesday wrote to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare accepting the Centre's offer for dialogue on December 30 as the next date for the meeting.
In a letter to the Agriculture Ministry Secretary Sanjay Agarwal, the farmer unions protesting against the Centre's new agricultural laws for over a month reiterated its four-point agenda for talks including modalities to repeal farm laws and a mechanism to bring law for providing a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP).
"Mechanisms to be adopted to make remunerative MSP recommended by the National Farmers' Commission into a legally guaranteed entitlement for all farmers and all agricultural commodities. Amendments to be made and notified in the 'Commission for the Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020' to exclude farmers from the penal provisions of the Ordinance," farmer unions listed in the agenda for the meeting.
The SKM said that for reaching "logical solutions to relevant issues", the talks should be held in accordance with the agenda given by the organisation.
The central government has invited farmers for talks on December 30 at Vigyan Bhawan in the national Delhi.
The protesting farmers and government have held five rounds of talks. The farmer unions also attended a meeting called by Home Minister Amit Shah.
Farmers are protesting on Delhi border against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
