With the fifth round of talks between the Centre and farmerleader set to begin on Saturday afternoon, the Union government is learnt tohave decided to give a written assurance on MSP, and also agree to amend thecontentious three new farm laws enacted in September.
As per sources privy to the developments, the government hasdecided to accept the farmers' demand for written assurance on Minimum SupportPrice (MSP) by an "executive order and not by legislation".
After over one-and-half hours meeting with the PrimeMinister, the source said, the government may accept to effect amendments tothe farm laws that farmers dub as "black" and"anti-farmer".
The laws are The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce(Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment andProtection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and TheEssential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
The decision was taken after four earlier talks between theCentre and farmer representatives here in the national capital remainedinconclusive.
The fifth round of talks will start at 2 pm at Vigyan Bhavanin central Delhi. A group of nearly three dozen farmer leaders will participatein the meeting. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Consumer AffairsMinister Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of State Som Prakash and AgricultureSecretary Sanjay Agarwal will join the meeting.
The farmers had put out a five-point demands that includeframing of a specific law on MSP, no punishment for stubble-burning, repeal ofthe three farm laws, settlement of objections about proposed Electricity(Amendment) Act, 2020 and written assurance on MSP.
The farmer union representatives in earlier talks hadrejected the government's argument that the three farm laws were in theinterest of farmers, saying the laws will only benefit big business andcorporate houses.
Giving an example of sugarcane procurement, the farmers'organisations had also objected to contract farming and pointed out itsdrawbacks.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union, Bharatiya Kisan Sanyukt Morchaand Krantikari Kisan Union are among more than 34 farm unions which havedemanded a special session of Parliament to frame a law on MSP as well asrepeal of the farm laws.
Thousands of protesters have blocked Delhi borders at fivepoints connecting it to Chandigarh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, crippling supplychains to the national capital.