Delhi farmers protest: Farmers have been protesting against the MSP issue since the 2020/21 agitation (File).
New Delhi:
Farmers, seeking legal support for MSP or minimum support price and calling for it to include all 23 listed cash crops, after rejecting the offer of a five-year contract to buy only pulses, maize and cotton, Resumed our march in Delhi today. ,
Here are the top 10 points from this big story:
On Monday evening, farmer leaders rejected the government’s proposal to purchase maize, cotton and three types of pulses – tur, urad and masoor – at the old MSP. He said it made no sense as it applied only to a few crops and growers of the other 18 crops were ignored.
Farmers said the price is based on the A2+FL+50 per cent formula (1.5 times MSP of direct costs like seeds and fertilizers and unpaid family labour), and not the Swaminathan Commission’s C2+50 per cent formula (which includes agricultural land rent). , or the rental value of land owned) – this would be a “subsistence” payment and not “income”.
They were also unhappy with the clause that said the MSP would be only for those opting for crop diversification, meaning they would have to plant government-approved crops to be eligible for the support price. “Thus, we have decided to reject the proposal…”
The offer came after four rounds of talks in Chandigarh between farmer leaders and the government, represented by three Union ministers, including Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, who has said that “unruly elements are trying to hijack the talks”.
The farmers – who number around one lakh – are at Shambhu on the Punjab-Haryana border and have been stuck there since last week, while all parties try to negotiate a deal and avoid a repeat of violent protests in 2020/21. Are. Now this seems unlikely.
There are about 200 km of fortified highways between them and Delhi, including concrete barriers, barbed wire fences and even spike strips to prevent tractors from moving through. Drone footage paints a shocking picture – resembling preparations for an ‘invasion’ of the city.
Security has been stepped up around Delhi, with major border crossings including Ghazipur, Tikri, Noida and Singhu blocked with rows of metal and cement barriers. Delhi Police has also imposed a one-month ban on public gatherings under Section 144.
The farmers have said that their march will be peaceful. “We want to appeal to the government not to use force against us,” one farmer told NDTV. However, they are in it for the long term and have come with food and provisions for six months.
Apart from recalibration of MSP and ensuring legal guarantees, farmers also want farm loan waiver, no hike in electricity tariffs and withdrawal of 2020/21 police cases.
They also want a public sector crop insurance scheme and a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 for farmers above 60 years of age. Lastly, they also want junior home minister Ajay Mishra Teni to be prosecuted in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
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