The Centre on Friday said that farmers’ unions never agreed to discuss the farm laws excepting for demanding their repeal. The Centre further stated that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is facing a loss of nearly Rs 1.8 crore every day as it has been unable to collect user fee at the affected public funded toll plazas due to farm stirs since November 26.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Friday during the 11th round of negotiations, the government had been requesting the agitating farmers’ unions to discuss the Farm laws clause by clause in order to resolve their concerns on the clauses bothering them.
“The Government had further explained during the meetings, the benefits including legal validity pertaining to recently enacted new Farm laws. However, farmers’ unions never agreed to discuss the farm laws excepting for demanding their repeal,” Tomar said.
The question was asked by MP Jharna Das Baidya on the farmers protests on details of time-bound proposal of government to overcome the struggle of farmers to get their lives back on track.
In response to an unstarred question by Lok Sabha MP PC Gaddigoudar, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari stated that some of the public funded toll plazas are non-operational owing to the farm protests.