Agri Min bats for farm reforms, defends laws

| | New Delhi
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Agri Min bats for farm reforms, defends laws

Tuesday, 19 January 2021 | PNS | New Delhi

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, on Monday said that the previous Governments could not introduce these reforms because of pressure tactics.

“These reforms will go a long way in elevating the living standard of farmers. Whenever any reform is introduced, impediments are bound to come in the way,” Tomar said.

The tenth round of talks between the Centre and 41 protesting farmers' unions is scheduled for Wednesday at 12 noon at Vigyan Bhawan in the heart of the national Capital. Separately, a Supreme Court-appointed panel to resolve the crisis is also scheduled to hold its first meeting on Tuesday. The previous rounds of talks between the Government and farmers have failed to reach any concrete results, as protesting unions have stuck to their main demand for repealing the new laws, but the Government has refused to do so.

“Misinformation is being spread across the country that MSP (minimum support price) is being discontinued but the government has made it clear that the MSP will continue. Procurement on MSP has also been increased.  Pulses-oilseeds have also been included in the MSP. These laws were expected earlier but the previous government could not implement because of pressure. It was the Modi government that took a bold step and brought these laws passed in Parliament... Whenever a good thing happens, there are obstacles," Tomar said while addressing a national conference on recent agriculture reforms, Myths vs Facts organized by Confederation of NGOs of rural India.

The statement is being seen as a reiteration of the government's stand that it was only willing to discuss the laws clause by clause and amend them suitably – something that has been rejected by farmers, who called the last round of talks “120 per cent failure”. The minister added that the laws were made after extensive discussions between experts, scientists and farmer unions based on recommendations of a panel led by Professor MS Swaminathan, the father of India's Green Revolution.

He also cited agriculture budget figures for this fiscal against those in 2013-14 when the PM Modi-led government first came to power to showcase the government's commitment towards farmers' welfare. “There will be a five-fold increase in the agriculture budget,” he added.

On eve of the tenth round of meeting, a delegation of farmers representing over 270 farmer producer organizations from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Odisha met Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala and appealed not to repeal the laws.  Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhury was also present in the meeting.''

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