Farmers Movement Archive

'Let's take fresh start': What PM Modi said in his address today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that the central government will repeal the three controversial fam laws by the end of this month, as he addressed the nation at 9am. He also asked the farmers to end their stir, which has continued for more than a year now.Addressing the nation on the auspicious occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, the Prime Minister also apologised to farmers and said, the government could not convince a section of farmers despite its clear heart and clean conscience.Farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been staging a sit-in at Delhi borders since last November last year to protest against the three legislation. The laws were enacted by Parliament in September last year.These laws are the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act. According to the announcement, the laws will be scrapped in the upcoming winter session of the Parliament.Here are the key highlights of the address:"I appeal to all the farmers who are part of the protest... to now return to your home, to your loved ones, to your farms, and family. Let's make a fresh start and move forward.""Friends, I apologise to the countrymen and want to say with a clean heart and conscience that we must have fallen short in our efforts to explain (the benefits of the farm laws) to a section of the farmers.""The objective of the three farm laws was that the farmers of the country, especially small farmers should be strengthened, they should get the right price for their produce and maximum options to sell the produce."PM Modi also announced a "formation of a committee to promote zero budgeting based agriculture, to change crop pattern as per the changing needs of the country and to make MSP more effective and transparent."The Committee will have representatives of the central government, state governments, farmers, agricultural scientists, and agricultural economists.

Hindustan Times

19-11-2021

India