Editor’s Pick: Progress in the Centre-farmers talks

(The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.)

The talks between the Centre and farmers' unions have borne some fruit with the Centre accepting two of the farmers' demands. The agreements reached are on decriminalising stubble burning and ensuring that subsidies for electricity remain.

Farmers in Punjab, Haryana and the outskirts of Delhi burn paddy straw after harvest to clear the field for the next round of cultivation. There were some State-level penalties on this practice, which is a major cause of the severe air pollution in Delhi during winter. In October this year, the Central government created a commission to control air pollution in Delhi and adjoining areas, with provisions for massive fines and jail terms if its directives are not followed. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana had been complaining of being unfairly targeted over stubble burning, for which there are few alternatives.

The Electricity (Amendment) Bill that the Centre has in the works is another bone of contention as farmers fear it will end the free or subsidised power supply that they get for irrigation purposes. With this Bill, the Centre aims to move the subsidy offered by States to farmers into Direct Benefit Transfer mode.

As per Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, the Centre has agreed to exclude farmers from the penal provisions of the Delhi pollution control body. It has also agreed to let the State electricity subsidies continue. Mr. Tomar said that with these agreements, 50 per cent of the farmers' demands had been met. However, the key issue of minimum support price and guaranteed procurement of agricultural produce remains. The farmers' unions have said that the agitation will continue till this demand is met. The government has not budged from its position that this is not feasible. However, the agreements mark some forward motion in talks that have been deadlocked for weeks. This is what makes the story important.

2020 in review: Read The Hindu's article that look back at a tumultuous year

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