Centre to appoint a panel to look into issues of farmers, Anna Hazare's suggestions

Farmer Protests updates

The Farmer protests which are set to enter the third month show no sign of negotiation or relaxation. With eleven failed rounds of talks between farmer unions and government, the deadlock seems unending. On the other hand, the centre had formed a high powered committee to look into farmer issues like legalisation of Minimum Support Price (MSP), raised by social activist Anna Hazare and also promised to stop the implementation of the laws for 18 months. The tension between both parties is rising and clearly evident on borders of national capital.

The Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar took the decision to set up the committee abruptly in order to prevent Anna Hazare from initiating his scheduled fast. Hazare who has been strongly supporting farmers backing their demands of repeal of laws announced his fast would begin from Saturday. He then called it off on Friday, after the state agriculture minister Kailash Choudhary and BJP Leader Devendra Fadnavis rushed to his village Ralegan Siddhi and satiated him by establishing a high power committee to resolve the agony of farmers.

According to the sources in ministry, committee is heading to comprise Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand, Agri-trade law and policy expert Vijay Sardana, MoS agriculture Parshottam Rupala, Padmashree recipient and progressive farmer from Haryana Kanwal Singh Chauhan and representatives of farmers. In his previous letter to ministry, Hazare listed the unfulfilled demands inculcating autonomy to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and rigidity of MSP based on Comprehensive cost (C2) as dictated by MS Swaminathan Committee and stated them as his reasons to participate in protests.

The assigned committee headed by Tomar, will propose the recommendations in six months and PM Narendra Modi also indicated towards the agriculture ministry's proposal of holding implementation of laws for 18 months in all party meeting by seeking discussions over demands of farmers during this period. After the rejection of the proposal by unions, Choudhary said although many suggestions in Hazare's letter have been implemented, the committee will hold consultations with farmers on pending issues. "Farmer's representatives in the committee will be finalised after discussion with Hazare," said an official, including a joint secretary from agriculture, food and consumer affairs and commerce ministries.

The committee will be independent of the Supreme Court and will submit the report to the apex court after two months hearing views of stakeholders, farmers and state governments.