After a “positive meeting” last week, the Centre is set to hold a fresh round of talks with the protesting farmers in Chandigarh on Saturday evening, with an intent to discuss several of their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) on crops.
Farmers earlier sought for the next meeting to be held in Delhi, however, the Centre scheduled it in Chandigarh’s Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Public Administration.
A letter for the meeting was sent to farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher by Purna Chandra Kishan, joint secretary, Union ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare.
Earlier on February 14, a meeting between a Central team led by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and farmers’ representatives to discuss their various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP on crops, was held in Chandigarh cordially and the next round of talks were slated for February 22.
The over two-and-a-half-hour meeting with the 28-member delegation from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha was held after a year-long protest by farmers.
It was also attended by Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, the state’s Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Lal Chand Kataruchak and other state government representatives.
Following the meeting at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration here, the Union minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution said the talks were held in a cordial atmosphere and another round of talks will be held on February 22.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will lead the central team in the next meeting, Pralhad Joshi said, adding that he would also be a part of that talk.
“Details about the steps taken by the Narendra Modi government for farmers’ welfare were shared with their leaders in today’s meeting,” he added.
Talking to reporters separately, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on an indefinite fast, too said that the meeting was held in a positive atmosphere and another meeting will be held next week on February 22.
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