The fourth round of talks between farmers and Union ministers concluded late Sunday night
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A panel of three Union ministers on Sunday proposed the buying of pulses, maize, and cotton crops by government agencies at minimum support prices for five years after entering into an agreement with farmers. Speaking to the media after a more than four-hour-long meeting with farmer leaders here, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said the innovative and out-of-the-box idea came up during the discussions. The minister said the farmer leaders will decide on the proposals put forward by the government by Monday morning. "Cooperative societies like the NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation) and NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) will enter into a contract with those farmers who grow 'tur dal', 'urad dal', 'masoor dal' or maize for buying their crop at MSP for next five years," said Goyal. There will be no limit on the quantity (purchased) and a portal will be developed for this," he added. It will save Punjab's farming, improve the groundwater
While the new laws aimed to make the mandis - and their notoriously extractive middlemen - irrelevant, the farmers read them as a sign that the six-decade-old price mechanism itself would be scrapped
"The farmers' union will tell us their decision by morning. We will also have discussions with NCCF and NAFED after returning to Delhi," he added
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The central government should not dilly-dally and accept the demands of farmers before the model code of conduct comes into force, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said ahead of a meeting with a panel of Union ministers here on Sunday. The Lok Sabha elections be announced next month. Three Union ministers and farmer leaders will meet here at 6 pm to discuss their demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP for crops and farm debt waiver. The meeting comes amid thousands of farmers staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border with layers of barricades and a large number of security personnel halting their protest march to the national capital. The two sides -- ministers and farmer leaders -- had met earlier on February 8, 12 and 15 but talks remained inconclusive. "We want to tell the government that it should avoid the policy of dilly-dallying," Dallewal told reporters at the Shambhu border point. If the government thinks it will continue to hol
A panel of Union ministers will hold a fourth round of talks with farmer leaders here on Sunday over their demands, including loan waiver and bringing an ordinance on giving legal guarantee to MSP for crops. The meeting comes amid thousands of farmers staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border with layers of barricades and a large number of security personnel halting their march to the national capital. The two sides -- ministers and farmer leaders -- had met earlier on February 8, 12 and 15 but talks remained inconclusive. Besides loan waiver and a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), farmers of the 'Delhi Chalo' agitation, which entered is sixth day on Sunday, are also demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, and withdrawal of police cases. There was no report of any confrontation between the protesters and Haryana security personnel on Saturday. The farmer leader
Earlier, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda on Friday said that efforts to find a solution continue and the next round of talks with farmers will take place on Sunday
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Haryana Police on Friday fired tear gas shells to disperse protesting farmers when they moved towards the barricades at the Shambhu border near Ambala. The fresh confrontation comes on the fourth day of the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march to demand a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Protesting farmers from Punjab have stayed put at the Shambhu and Khanauri -- two points on the state's border with Haryana. There were clashes between the farmers and Haryana Police personnel on the first two days of the protest as well. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had given the call for the 'Delhi Chalo' march to press the BJP-led central government to accept their demands. The farmers from Punjab began their march to the national capital on Tuesday but were stopped by security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points. Besides a legal guarantee of MSP, the farmers are demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commissi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said his party will accept long-pending demands of farmers in the country and ensure a legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP) of crops if the INDIA bloc comes to power after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Addressing the 'Kisan Nyay Panchayat', a gathering of farmers, in Bihar's Rohtas, as part of his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', Gandhi claimed that "cultivators are not getting the remunerative prices for their crops". "If the INDIA bloc comes to power after the general elections, we will give a legal guarantee to MSP. Whenever farmers have asked for something from the Congress, it has been given to them. Be it loan waiver or MSP, we have always protected the interests of cultivators and will do so in future," Gandhi said. His comment comes at a time when Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a farmers' body, called for 'Bharat Bandh' on Friday to press the BJP-led central government to accept cultivators' demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum
Commuters in Punjab faced inconvenience on Friday as many buses stayed off the roads in response to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha's call for a 'Bharat Bandh' to press the government to accept farmers' demands including a legal guarantee of MSP. Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contract Workers' Union are supporting the Samyukta Kisan Morcha's (SKM) bandh call. During the day, farmers will also hold demonstrations at many places in Punjab under the banner of the SKM. Many farmer bodies including Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal), Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakunda), Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal), Bharatiya Kisan Union (Qadian) and Kirti Kisan Union are taking part in the bandh. Passengers were seen waiting for buses at many bus stands to reach their respective destinations. Mainly students and office-goers faced inconvenience because of the non-availability of buses. At the Patiala bus stand, a college student said he could not find any bus to go to Landran road. A government employee said
Protesting farmers will stay put at the two borders of Punjab and Haryana over their various demands as the deadlock persisted despite the third round of talks with a panel of Union ministers. A five-hour meeting, which started around 8:45 pm on Thursday, between three Union ministers and the farmer leaders remained inconclusive. The two sides will now meet on February 18 for the fourth round of talks. The two previous rounds of dialogue on February 8 and 12 also remained inconclusive. Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai represented the Centre at Thursday's meeting over the farmer unions' various demands, including a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema also joined the meeting at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26 here. The Samyu
A marathon meeting between three Union ministers and leaders of protesting farmer unions concluded without a resolution here late Thursday with Union Minister Arjun Munda asserting that the discussion was "positive and another round of talks would be held on Sunday. The farmer leaders said they will continue to stay put at the two border points between Punjab and Haryana. Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Munda, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai represented the Centre at the meeting over the farmer unions' various demands, including a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also joined the meeting at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26 here. The meeting started at around 8:45 pm on Thursday and lasted for around five hours. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Munda said the talks took place in a good atmosphere an
Three Union ministers held talks with the leaders of protesting farmer unions here for more than five hours on Thursday night, amid a standoff between the protesters and security personnel at two points on the Punjab-Haryana border. Both sides have agreed to hold another round of talks on Sunday. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also joined the meeting at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26 here. Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai represented the Centre at the meeting over the farmer unions' various demands, including a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. The talks that lasted for more than five hours ended early Friday. The discussions will continue and another round of talks will be held at 6 pm on Sunday, Munda said after the meeting, terming the talks as positive. The Punjab chief minister said th
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Meanwhile, there was no report of any clash between farmers and the Haryana security personnel at the two Punjab and Haryana border points - Shambhu and Khanauri - on Thursday
Two key border points between Delhi and Haryana remain closed for traffic while security personnel in anti-riot gears were deployed at strategic locations in the national capital as farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' agitation entered the third day on Thursday. While the two borders - Tikri and Singhu -- with Haryana remain closed, movement was allowed through the Ghazipur border with Uttar Pradesh under the watch of security personnel. According to senior police officer, the Delhi Police is on extra vigil though the protesting farmers have been stopped by the Haryana Police at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana near Ambala. In the central part of Delhi as well, the police have put up barricades on several roads leading to Parliament and other sensitive locations. Farmer leaders have said a meeting will be held with three Union ministers in Chandigarh on Thursday after which the protesters will decide the next course of action. At Tikri and Singhu borders, the Delhi Police has put