Eighth round of talks between Centre, farmer leaders today: All you need to know

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Jan 08, 2021:     The eighth round of talks between the Centre and farmer leaders over the three farm laws enacted in September are scheduled for Friday even as protests over the legislation continue.

Here is all that you need to know about the laws, protests and the talks:

 

1. The seventh round of talks over the scrapping of the laws ended in a stalemate on Monday as three Union ministers leading the negotiations said it was impossible for them to commit to a rollback of the legislation without wider consultations.

2. The two sides agreed to continue the talks on January 8 (Friday) even as farm unions hardened their stand, saying farmers will drive into Delhi in their tractors to hold their own Republic Day parade if their demands of scrapping the laws are not met by January 26.

3. Tens of thousands of farmers on tractors held a rally near New Delhi on Thursday to build pressure on the government ahead of Republic Day.

4. Farm union leaders have said they were prepared to intensify their agitation as the government has not been prepared to budge.

5. The government has ruled out a repeal of the laws and asked farm unions to point out what they considered objectionable in the legislation.

6. It has also sought to discuss the demand of a law guaranteeing assured prices for 23 farm commodities known as minimum support prices (MSP).

7. The government has told farm leaders that it will review any clause farmers have a problem with but farms leaders have insisted on repealing the laws and bringing a law guaranteeing MSP.

8. Some headway was made in the sixth round of talks on December 30 as the Centre agreed to exempt farmers from heavy fines for crop-residue burning as provided for in an anti-pollution ordinance.

9. The government promised to continue the current mechanism of giving subsidised power for agricultural use. The discussion on demands of the repeal of the three laws and a legal guarantee of MSP were deferred till January 8.

10. Farmers launched one of the biggest strikes in decades last month to force the Centre to revoke the three laws.

11. The laws change the way farmers do business by creating free markets, as opposed to a network of decades-old government marketplaces.

12. They allow traders to stockpile essential commodities for future sales and lay down a national framework for contract farming.

13. Farmer leaders have said the government’s “ego problem” was coming in the way of resolving the issues.

14. They have insisted they would not relent on their key demands for the repeal and a legal guarantee for MSP as thousands of farmers have hunkered down at various Delhi border points for over a month against the laws.

15. The protesting farmers have stayed put despite heavy rains and water logging at protest sites besides severe cold weather conditions saying the laws favour big corporations at their cost.

16. Farm leaders have said they will implement their new protest agenda, which includes picketing of governor houses, toll plazas and boycott of goods and services of the Reliance and Adani groups.

Courtesy:Hindustan Times