After PM's invite, farmer leaders say ready for talks, ask govt to choose date
New Delhi: Farmer unions agitating against the three agri laws on Monday asked the government to fix a date for the next round of talks, soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged them to end their stir and invited them to resume the dialogue.
They, however, objected to Prime Minister Modi's remarks in Rajya Sabha that a new "breed" of agitators called "andolan jivi" has emerged in the country, and said that agitation has an important role in a democracy.
Farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka, who is a senior member of the Samkyukta Kisan Morcha which is spearheading the ongoing stir, said they are ready for the next round of talks and the government should tell them the date and time of the meeting.
"We have never refused to hold talks with the government. Whenever it has called us for dialogue, we held discussions with Union ministers. We are ready for talks with them (government)," Kakka told PTI.
Eleven rounds of talks have been held over the contentious farm laws but the impasse continues as the farmer unions remain firm on their demands -- the repeal of the three laws and legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP).
In the last round of talks, the government had offered to suspend the laws for 12-18 months, but the farmer unions rejected it.
Thousands of agitating farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at three Delhi border points --- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur --- for over 70 days.
While replying in Rajya Sabha on Monday to a debate on the President's address, PM Modi assured the farmers that Mandis will be modernised, saying "Not just this, MSP was there, it is there and will remain."
"We urge those sitting on the agitation that even though it is their right to agitate, the way the old people are sitting there, is not right.
"They (agitators) should be taken back. They should end the agitation and we will together find a solution as all doors are open for dialogue. From this House, I again invite them for dialogue," Modi said while appealing to farmers to end their agitation.
Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar, who is also a member of Samkyukta Kisan Morcha, said that the government has already said "hundreds of times" that the MSP will not go anywhere and it will remain in place.
"If the government is claiming that MSP will remain, why doesn't it provide a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for our crops," Kohar told PTI.
He said that the farmer unions are ready to resume talks with the government, but there should be a formal invitation.
"Any issue can be resolved through proper dialogue. We are ready in-principle to resume talks," the farmer leader.
In his speech, Modi slammed the mushrooming of a new breed of 'andolan-jivi' -- professional protestors -- who are seen at every agitation. These "parasites feast on every agitation," he said.
"Agitation has an important role in democracy. People have a right to oppose the government's wrong policies," Kakka said, referring to the remarks by the prime minister.
Sukhdev Singh, Punjab general secretary of BKU Ekta Ugrahan, sought to know why the government is not ensuring a legal guarantee on MSP for crops and alleged that it is trying to divert the issue.
Farmer leader Baldev Singh also said that government should repeal these farm laws and provide a legal guarantee on MSP for farmers' crops.
Earlier in the day, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said business over hunger will not be allowed in the country.
"There will not be any business over hunger in the country. If hunger goes up, the price of crops will be decided accordingly. Those who wish to do business over hunger will be driven out of the country," Tikait told reporters at the Ghazipur protest site.
To press their demands, protesting unions held a nationwide 'chakka jam' last week, during which national and state highways were blocked in Punjab, Haryana and other parts of the country.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
