The Centre and Farmers’ Unions found some common ground on Wednesday to address protesting farmers’ complaints over growing electricity tariffs and fines for burning stubble. However, the key question of the three agricultural regulations and the legislative promise of the minimum support price persist.
The Centre has decided to exempt farmers from emissions control regulations, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and the Adjoining Areas Ordinance 2020. Farmers will now continue to collect power subsidy for irrigation and the Centre has withdrawn the draft of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
This talks with the government was the sixth round of talks and it took almost 5 hours with the 41-member representative group for the thousands of farmers protesting at the border with Delhi, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
“After 5 hours, at least 50 per cent resolution has been reached” on two out of four issues on the agenda” said the agriculture minister. “Discussions on the three farm laws and the MSP are continuing and will continue in the next round of talks on 4 January,” Tomar told reporters after the meeting concluded.
He said that both the sides were very cordial to each other during talks and that the two sides reached an agreement on two topics, one on the criminal penalties for burning stubble and the other on the draught electricity legislation.
“First issue was an ordinance related to the environment. Unions became apprehensive about the participation of farmers along with Parali. Both sides agreed to the exclusions of farmers,” said Tomar.
“The farmers fear that if the amendment is implemented in the Electricity Act, they will incur losses. The Unions required the energy subsidies provided to farmers by the States for irrigation to be extended. Consensus has already been reached on this topic,” he added.
He hailed the unions for “maintaining peace and discipline during their protest,” and urged them to send the elderly, women and children back to their homes due to the extreme cold weather.
Farmers have been demonstrating against new agricultural regulations at various borders in Delhi since 26 November.
Security remained tight at the border of Delhi on Wednesday, with hundreds of workers deployed at the border points of Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri, where farmers were camping.
