The Centre on Wednesday sent a proposal to farmer protesting near Delhi that it is ready to give written assurance on continuing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) – one of the key demands of the protesters. It proposal, sent by Agriculture Ministry Joint Secretary Vivek Aggarwal, also tried to allay their fears about the weakening of the mandi system.
The proposal was sent to 13 farmer unions, part of the protest which has been going on since November 26. In total, the government proposed to make necessary amendments on at least seven issues.
However, the proposal did not mention anything about the main demand of protesting farmers for the repeal of the laws. The farmers have said that they will hold discussion on the proposal before saying anything.
Here are the key points from the government proposal sent to farmers:
• On concerns raised by farmers about the scrapping of the MSP regime and shifting of trade to private players, the government said it is ready to give a written assurance that the existing MSP will continue.
• On farmers’ fears that mandis would weaken after the new laws, the government said an amendment can be made wherein state governments can register the traders operating outside mandis. States can also impose tax and cess as they used in APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) mandis on them.
• On concerns that farmers may be duped as anyone having just a PAN card is allowed to trade outside APMC mandis, the government said to rule out such apprehensions, the state governments can be given the power to register such traders and make rules keeping in mind the local situation of farmers.
• On the issue of farmers not getting the right to appeal in civil courts for dispute resolution, the government said it is open to making an amendment to provide for an appeal in civil courts. Currently, the dispute resolution is at SDM level.
• On fears that big corporates will take over farmlands, the government said it has already been made clear in the laws, but still, for clarity, it can be written that no buyer can take loans against farmland nor any such condition will be made to farmers. On attaching farmland under contract farming, the government said the existing provision is clear but still it can be clarified further if required.
• On demands to scrap the proposed Electricity Amendment bill 2020, the government said there won’t be any change in the existing system of electricity bill payment for farmers.
• On farmers’ demand to scrap the Air Quality Management of NCR Ordinance 2020, under which there is the provision of penalty for stubble burning, the government said it is ready to find an appropriate solution.
“The government has tried to address the concerns of farmers with an open heart and with respect for the farming community of the country. The government appeals the Kisan unions to end their agitation,” the government said in the proposal.
