Farmers Movement Archive

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh hails Centre’s move to call farm unions for talks

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has welcomed the Centre’s decision to take forward talks with farm unions on the three new laws which have elicited strong protests from the community. The invitation for talks has come in the wake of the farmers’ decision to allow passenger and goods trains in the state. Amarinder, who had spoken last week with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to urge them to resolve the issue at the earliest, said he was happy to note that the central government had reportedly invited farmer organisations for talks on December 3. Referring to media reports to this effect, he hoped the talks will pave the way for early redressal of the concerns of farmers. It was vital for Punjab’s interests that the matter be resolved as soon as possible, said Amarinder, expressing satisfaction at the fact that both unions and the Centre, had shown flexibility and intent to come to an amicable solution on the issue. He hoped the central government would take into account long term implications of farm laws, and the repercussions would not be just for Punjab and its farmers, but the entire nation’s agriculture sector and food security. Meanwhile, with supplies of essential commodities finally being restored with the resumption of goods train services in Punjab after about two months, the chief minister has asked chief secretary Vini Mahajan to coordinate with various departments to ensure seamless movement of raw materials to power plants and industry.

The Times of India

2020-11-25

Chandigarh