SC panel ready with list of issues affecting farm sector
The apex court had constituted the committee on September 2 to address various demands of farmers who have been protesting since February, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
The five-member high-powered committee appointed by the Supreme Court has finalised the issues affecting the farm sector and would soon submit a report in this regard to the court.
The apex court had constituted the committee on September 2 to address various demands of farmers who have been protesting since February, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
The committee, headed by a former Punjab & Haryana high court judge, has met various farm unions and agriculture experts before finalising the issues. The panel has engaged with Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) — one of the two protesting farmer unions at Punjab and Haryana border. The SKM (non-political) had submitted a charter of demands last month to the committee while the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) had refused to hold talks with them.
According to a committee member, the report will highlight key issues contributing to the ongoing agrarian crisis in Punjab and Haryana.
The top court had observed that there is a sizeable population of agricultural communities in Punjab and Haryana that belong to the marginalised communities and live below the poverty line. Hence, there was a need for a neutral committee to look into their issues.
The report will focus on the challenges faced by farmers, agricultural workers and vulnerable group in rural India. The committee is expected to present its report during the next hearing in the case.
“The committee has had several meetings, and we have finalised various issues affecting the agriculture sector. Our job is to highlight the much-needed agrarian reforms required for the agriculture sector,” said one of the members pleading anonymity.
The court had also asked the member secretary of the high-powered committee to submit the interim status report with advance copies to the state governments of Punjab and Haryana.
The five-member high-powered committee is chaired by justice Nawab Singh, a former judge of the Punjab & Haryana high court, and the other members of the committee includes BS Sandhu, former director general of Police, Haryana; Devinder Sharma, known for his expertise in agricultural issues; Prof Ranjit Singh Ghumman, professor of eminence at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar; and Dr Sukhpal Singh, agricultural economist from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Prof Baldev Raj Kamboj, vice-chancellor of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, has to be consulted as a special invitee by the committee.
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