The Key Demands Of Farmers That Remain Unresolved:
Today, protesting farmers are set to commence their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, urging the Centre to address their demands. Chief among these demands is the implementation of a law ensuring a minimum support price (MSP) for crops, which is vital for farmers navigating market uncertainties.
Other significant points of contention include the repeal of the Electricity Act 2020, seeking compensation for farmers who lost their lives in Lakhimpur Kheri, and the withdrawal of cases against individuals involved in the farmers’ movement. While some agreements were reached on these matters post-midnight, the farmers remain resolute, highlighting that the government’s commitments made two years ago remain unfulfilled.
What do the farmers want:
– Full debt waiver for farmers and laborers
-Implementation of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, with provisions for written consent from farmers before acquisition, and compensation at four times the collector rate
-Punishment for the perpetrators of the October 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri killings;
– Withdrawal from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and freeze all free trade agreements;
– Pensions for farmers and farm laborers;
-Compensation for farmers who died during the Delhi protest, including a job for one family member.
– Scrapping of Electricity Amendment Bill 2020
-200 (instead of 100) days’ employment under MGNREGA per year, a daily wage of Rs 700, and the scheme should be linked with farming
-Strict penalties and fines on companies producing fake seeds, pesticides, fertilizers; improvements in seed quality;
– National commission for spices such as chili and turmeric.
The meeting unveiled the government’s readiness to retract cases against farmers filed during the 2020-21 agitation, tackling one of the farmers’ grievances. Nevertheless, the farmers continue to emphasize the necessity of a legal assurance for MSP, highlighting its pivotal role as a fundamental aspect of their demands.
Farmer leaders like Jagjit Singh Dallewal from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Sarwan Singh Pandher from the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee have voiced doubts regarding the government’s sincerity in meeting the broader spectrum of demands.
The government has suggested the establishment of a committee to discuss legal assurances for MSP, debt waivers, and the execution of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations. However, farmer representatives remain skeptical of this proposal.
Delhi has imposed a month-long ban on public meetings, along with the entry of tractors trolleys, and anything “capable of being used as weapons or tools of violence” in the city for a month. Intensive checking will take place at pickets along routes bordering the capital by the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh Police with the latter advising commuters to utilize the metro to avoid congestion
