Delegation of 60 farmers meet Narendra Singh Tomar, extend support to farm laws
A delegation of 60 farmers belonging to Kisaan Majdoor Sangh, Baghpat on Thursday met Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar at Krishi Bhawan in Delhi. These farmers also submitted memorandum wherein they extended support to the new farm laws.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Tomar said that farmers from Baghpat have given him a letter in support of the farm laws.
"They have told me that government shouldn't buckle under any pressure to make amendments to farm bills," he said.
Kisan Sena, in its memorandum submitted to the minister, asked the government to consider setting up a 'Farmers Commission (Kisan Aayog)' at the central level for dispute resolution in case of trouble in contract farming. Its demands also included making available diesel and electricity at lesser rates for farming, ensuring that farm produce is not sold below MSP and free education for children of farmers.
Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi's borders demanding the repeal of the three farm laws. Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.
However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
So far, at least 12 farmers group have extended their support for the laws, the previous ones being from Uttarakhand, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, among other places. BJP leader and former Union Minister Satya Pal Singh was also present in the meeting with a delegation of KMS from Baghpat district.
After the meeting, Singh told reporters that Punjab farmers alone are protesting because the commission agents fear losing their business if trade without tax is allowed outside mandis under the new farm laws.
While there are 16 crore farmers in the country, Punjab with 11 lakh farmers are protesting against the laws, he claimed, adding the reason for this is the loss of business to commission agents. Punjab levies the highest mandi tax of 8.5 per cent, while it is 1.5 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, he added.
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