Centre postpones tenth round of talks with farmers to January 20

The central government has postponed the tenth round of scheduled talks with the protesting farmers' representatives to January 20, informed the Agriculture Ministry on Monday.

The meeting was earlier scheduled for Tuesday, January 19 and now it will be held on Wednesday at Vigyan Bhavan at 2 pm.

"The government's ministerial meeting with farmers unions will be held on January 20 at 2 pm at Vigyan Bhawan, instead of January 19," the Ministry said in a statement.

As the ninth round of talks between the central government and farmer unions on January 15 remained inconclusive, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said the unions have been asked to form informal groups among themselves and submit a draft to the government regarding their demands.

Tomar had said the government will think about the draft with an "open mind". Saying that the government is concerned about the farmers protesting in cold conditions, he had asserted that the Centre is positive to reach a solution through talks.

On January 12, the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the Centre's three farm laws and asked the committee formed by it concerning the laws to submit its report within two months.

The committee has been directed to hold a dialogue with farmers and submit its recommendations pertaining to the farm laws within two months from the date of its first sitting.

However, the leaders of farmers' unions rejected the committee, saying their members were already in favour of the farm laws. Bhupinder Singh Mann, National President of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Mann) had on Thursday recused himself from the four-member committee appointed by top court over the new farm laws.

Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws - Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.