With the farmers agitating against three central laws on agriculture, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday said that there is no tussle with the farmers and the State Govt is committed to protecting their interests and welfare.”The Govt has taken various initiatives to improve the income of people engaged in the farm sector”, he said, adding that the Government is committed to protect the interest of farmers through policies and intentions.

Talking to reporters at his residence in Chandigarh, Khattar said that the Government has been making efforts to double farmers’ income and strengthen the agriculture sector.

On no sign of any agreement between the Government and the protesting farmers over farm laws and whether the government is making any effort to resume talks, the chief minister said, “Our nation has a very strong democratic setup. This allows everyone to express his or her view. Even today, whenever their response comes, the government is always ready to hold talks.”

Asked about the State’s current economic condition, the CM said that in wake of the situation arising from the coronavirus pandemic, Haryana has suffered a revenue loss of nearly Rs 7,000 crore in the financial year 2020-21.

He said Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected the State’s economy and it has also received less grant-in-aid from the Central Government. Haryana has a revenue deficit of nearly Rs 14,000 crore (as per 2020-21 budget estimates).

On ‘Ease of doing business’, he said that the State Government had set up a single roof mechanism.

Haryana is the only State to provide all industrial clearances and licences under one roof and all approvals are being granted online in a timely manner, the CM added.