Farmers Movement Archive

Kisan unions not responding to govt proposals: Goyal

NEW DELHI: Consumer affairs minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday said the Centre was ready to engage with farmers’ unions but added that the representatives were not responding to proposals to fix problems, if any, with the farm laws. “The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has said the government is a phone call away but someone has to call to talk or move ahead. If farmers have any objection to the laws, then let us know and the government is willing to address that,” the minister said, adding that the central government had proposed to suspend implementation of the laws for 18 months to address concerns. While condemning the incidents by certain protestors on Republic Day, he said some farmers had been misled on some issues. Besides, he said the laws were for farmers across the country, with a large number of them having small holdings. “Farmers have been confused and the government has proposed to clear the confusion. We have given option after option to address their concerns. But when I heard in media reports ‘tareekh par tareekh’, which is actually wrong, it must be said that the Centre has given proposal after proposal,” Goyal, who is a key member of the negotiating team, said. He added that the new farm bills had been introduced to boost income levels and had been welcomed across the country. Goyal, who also holds the railways portfolio, said a date for launch of the bullet train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad would be finalised after the Maharashtra government, which has gone slow on land acquisition, moves ahead with the most crucial aspect of the high-profile project. “Bullet train is delayed due to virtual stopping of land acquisition in Maharashtra. The PM had also flagged it during a Pragati meeting (with top officials from state and central government). Gujarat has made nearly 90% land available, while Maharashtra has not done even onethird. We had to start with the Gujarat leg of the project and tenders are getting awarded now,” he said. Goyal said the announcements in the budget had seen a massive allocation for capex by the railways to over Rs 2.1 lakh crore, from Rs 40,000-45,000 crore a few years ago, which will boost demand in other sectors.

The Times of India

2021-02-08

India