Members of the Supreme Court-appointed panel to resolve the farmers’ protest against 3 farm laws met on Tuesday and chalked out a road map for next two months for submitting an “unbiased” report inside deadline.
“Our views may be different. When a responsibility like this is given by the court, we have to work in an unbiased and transparent way. In the report, we cannot give our views and that is very clear,” mentioned PK Joshi, a single of the members of the committee.
Joshi, a former south Asia head of International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), also mentioned the committee is hopeful of finishing the report inside two months, as directed by the SC.
Acknowledging the opposition to the committee by protesting farmer unions, a further member and farmer leader Anil Ghanwat mentioned: “The biggest challenge is to convince the agitating farmers to come and speak with us. We will try our level best and we will definitely want to speak with them.”
Noted agriculture economist Ashok Gulati, who is also a member of the panel, mentioned the very best views and the collective wisdom of the committee on the farm laws, and also views of farmers and other stakeholders, would be collated and place in a suitable framework and communicated to the Supreme Court.
Under attack from protesting unions for their “pro-government” public stand on 3 contentious farm laws, the panel members are believed to have discussed how to attain out to the protesting farmers, like selection of going to the protest web pages.
As farmer unions want comprehensive withdrawal of the 3 laws, which the government has created it clear that it will not, Ghanwat mentioned the farm sector reforms are a great deal-necessary and no political party in the next 50 years will ever try them once more if these laws are repealed.
He also mentioned that the laws implemented in the final 70 years have been not in the interest of farmers and about 4.5 lakh farmers have committed suicide.
Briefing media soon after the panel’s 1st meeting, Ghanwat mentioned the 1st round of consultations with farmers and other stakeholders has been scheduled for Thursday. Sources, even so, mentioned the committee will meet on Wednesday as well. It could not be ascertained if panel members would also join the talks in between government and unions scheduled for Wednesday.
Last week, a single of the members of the committee, Bhupinder Singh Mann, recused himself of the panel soon after his organisation removed him as president. The name of his former organisation was also changed to Bharatiya Kisan Union (Punjab) from BKU (Mann).