In a tweet, Modi said, “Listen to two of my colleagues Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal from my cabinet on the new Farm Laws and the demands of the farmers.”

Modi also attached the video link of the press conference.

Tomar and Goyal on Thursday afternoon addressed a press conference here, a day after the farmers’ unions unanimously rejected the offer by the Centre to amend the laws recently enacted to bring reforms in agriculture and allied sectors.

As farmers’ unions have started to step up their agitation with a call for blocking the expressways around the national capital, the government has asked them to return to the discussion table.

Tomar said the way of dialogue has not been broken yet and the government has given proposals to them. “We urge union leaders to consider the proposal and start the next round of talks,” he said.

The ministers maintained that the 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 are the biggest agricultural reforms in the country so far.

The reforms will provide the farmers with market freedom, encourage entrepreneurship, give access to technology and transform agriculture, they said.

The government is ready to give an assurance on MSP and procurement and the existing system for procurement of crops on MSP (minimum support price) will continue. The government has said that provisions will be made in the legislation to ensure a level playing field in transactions inside and outside the existing APMC mandis, the ministers said.

As per the proposals given to amend the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020, there will be similar market fee and cess inside and outside the existing APMC mandis, imposed by the states. Also, there will be provision for registration of traders operating outside the APMC mandis.

Presently, the law provides for resolution of disputes between farmers and traders at the Sub-Divisional Magistrate level, but the government has said that a provision will be made that will provide for appeal in civil courts.

Goyal also outlined the various suggestions that have been given to the farmers in a proposal to address their concerns about the farm laws.

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The dog died on Tuesday and was buried with full honours by the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel.

The Prime Minister had praised the PAC for taking care of the canine in his programme.

The dog was named after Rakesh, a tea stall owner who had kept the dog for some time.

Aziz-ur-Rehman Khan, head constable, said, “A tea stall owner Rakesh, used to take care of the stray dog. However, he went back to his hometown after the first lockdown due to Covid-19, leaving the dog behind.”

Over the months, all the trainee jawans — constables and head constables — developed love for the stray dog and named him ‘Rakesh’.

‘Rakesh’ was five years old when he died.

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The players, wrestlers and popular Punjabi singer Ravinder Grewal were part of the farmers’ sit-in at Singhu border on the Delhi-Chandigarh route where the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and other farmers unions have been protesting since November 26.

They have come out in support of the farmers agitating against the three contentious farm bills passed in September during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. A group of 10 women kabaddi players from Punjab said they are supporting the farmers as their demands were not accepted by the Central government despite protesting in the state for the last three months.

“More than three-month long farmers’ protest did not have the desired impact so they marched to Delhi. Sports progress is dependent on farmers’ progress. If a farmer does not progress, how will sports progress,” leader of the kabaddi team, Surjit Kaur, said.

Kaur said her team is world-class and the players have participated in various competitions in Asia, Australia, New Zealand and other countries.
The women players appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to repeal the three “anti-farmer” laws and accept the farmers’ demands.

“Farmers will continue their struggle. They will not return without reaching a settlement. We will continue the agitation until the government agrees to the farmers’ demands.”

As soon as Punjabi singer Grewal joined the protest on Wednesday afternoon, his fans clicked selfies on their mobile phones.
Meanwhile, a group of wrestlers were busy in distributing ‘langar’ — a service in Sikhism to provide free meals to all without discriminating on the basis of religion.

Wrestler Pradeep Kumar, who along with many of his companions was busy in distributing langar, told IANS that they have been participating in the protest from the day when farmers from Punjab reached Singhu border.
“We distributed food to the protestors during the day and participated in the protest. The Central government should accept the farmers’ demands,” Kumar said.

Thousands of farmers are gathered at the Singhu and Tikri borders for the last seven days. Hundreds of protesting farmers have blocked other Delhi border points like Ghazipur on the Delhi-Ghaziabad route and Chilla on the Delhi-Noida road.

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The police also took a large number of protesters into prevent custody. The police said it used water cannons as protesters had jumped over barricades put up to prevent them from moving ahead.

“Our protest was to demand an apology from the Chief Minister for the use of force against protesting farmers in Haryana,” Punjab Youth Congress President Barinder Singh Dhillon told the media.

The protesters said they faced police action while they were on way to express solidarity with the farmers protesting on Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

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In a tweet, Modi said: “Greetings to my sisters and brothers of Nagaland on their statehood day. The people of Nagaland are known for their courage and kindness. Their culture is exemplary and so is their contribution to India’s progress. Praying for Nagaland’s continuous development.

In his Statehood Day message Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi said: “We used to celebrate it in previous years with all the gaiety and cultural splendour of the people of the state during Hornbill Festival. This year, due to the global pandemic of Covid-19, unfortunately we may not be able to do it at that scale.

“However, true to the indomitable Naga spirit, we will do so in our own households observing the needed Covid protocols,” the Governor said.
Ravi in his message said: “On this auspicious occasion we pay our heartfelt tribute to the founding fathers of Nagaland, the leaders of the Naga Peoples’ Convention, martyrs and countless Nagas whose blood, toil, sweat and sacrifices led to the birth of the 16th state of the Union of India.”

“We remember them with utmost gratitude for their strategic foresight and political vision in uniting the Nagas living in Assam and NEFA and creating this beautiful state with extraordinary constitutional safeguards to their unique identity and interests.”

The Governor said that Nagaland state is an abiding testimony to the triumph of the politics of peace over the politics of bloodshed. It is a proud saga of the indomitable Naga spirit which rejected the politics of gun and gunpowder in favour of the politics of democracy and dialogue.

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Captioning the photographs, Rashami wrote that she wants to “go with the flow”. Commenting on her post, Rashami’s fans showered her with love and admiration. On the work front, Rashami is all set to enter the digital world, and says her upcoming web project will help her break away from the regular television image. The actress plays the lead opposite Tanuj Virwani in the web series “Tandoor”, an investigative thriller about a married couple whose lives take an unexpected turn after a murder.

On Sunday, Rashami took to Instagram to share birthday wishes for her “Tandoor” co-star Tanuj Virwani. Sharing a photograph with Tanuj, the actress wrote: “I live for the moments where I can’t express them with words, A very Happy Birthday to my super talented co-actor, a person so humble and down to earth and surely super fun to be around @tanujvirwani Enjoy today without any guilt.”

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Reacting to Shah’s offer to hold discussions with the farmers at the earliest, Amarinder Singh said it is in the best interest of the farming community and the nation at large.

Shah’s statement reflecting the Centre’s willingness to listen to the farmers is a welcome step, said the Chief Minister, stressing that the only solution to the current stalemate on the farm laws issue is discussion.

Since the Home Minister has made it clear that the government of India is “ready to deliberate on every problem and demand” of the farmers, and would hold talks the day after the farmers shift to the designated site in Delhi for their protest, the leaders should also move forward, said the Chief Minister.

Only by sitting across the table can both sides come to a solution to the problem, he added.

Pointing out that the purpose of their protest is not to block highways and inconvenience people but to pressurise the Central government to listen to their voice, the Chief Minister said the farmers have already won half the battle by bringing the Union government to the negotiating table without further delay.

The farmers should grab the Union Home Minister’s offer and make the most of the opportunity to resolve the crisis triggered by the central laws, Amarinder Singh said.

He and his government are prepared to extend their full support to these negotiations, and are willing to mediate in the collective interest of all, Amarinder Singh said.

It is in Punjab’s interest, and that of every Punjabi, to find an early solution to the problem, he added.

The post Accept Shah’s Appeal, Punjab CM Urges Protesting Farmers appeared first on The Correspondent.

During a review meeting, UT Administrator V.P. Singh Badnore directed Deputy Commissioner Mandip Singh Brar to go for stricter punishment for violations of Covid-19 guidelines.

The UT Administration has also decided to open classroom teaching for the students in Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, from December 1, 2020.

The Administration has also permitted the coaching institutions to open from December 1, subject to strict observance of Covid-19 protocols, both in classes and hostels.

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“We’re actively considering imposition of lockdown or night curfews but no decision has been taken on it yet,” said advocates Sandeep Sethi and Satyakam on behalf of the city government.

The submissions came as the court heard a Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate Rakesh Malhotra seeking increasing the Covid-19 testing numbers in the national capital and getting speedy results.

The response came after a division bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad enquired from the Delhi government if it is planning to impose night curfews or weekend curfews like various other cities have done due to rise in Covid-19 infections.

Following these submissions, the bench said: “It is now for the Delhi government to take a call as to whether night curfew is required to be imposed in Delhi or some parts of Delhi and/or other measures need to be adopted to contain the virus. Delhi government shall take a decision on this aspect and implement the same without losing further time.”

During the hearing, the court also asked the Delhi government as to whether the order directing a maximum number of 50 guests at a marriage ceremony has been strictly enforced and the SOPs drawn up in this regard.

In response, the government counsel said that there is a procedure already in place which involves the district administration and the local police.

The bench has now asked the Delhi government to inform on the next date of hearing about the data regarding the number of complaints received and/or how many inspections have been conducted.

With regards to the burial or cremation of those who have succumbed to Covid-19, the Delhi government said they have sufficient capacity in the city.

“The present capacity of the crematoriums in Delhi is 380 bodies per day and the said capacity can be enhanced, if necessary,” it submitted through Sethi.

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Marching through Haryana where there were joined by local farmers, the farmers decided to stop for the night at Panipat close to the national capital.

In a major late night development, the Bharti Kisan Union Ekta-Ugrahan also decided to start their journey from the Khanauri border in Punjab’s Sangrur district on Friday.

BKU-Ugrahan President Joginder Ugrahan said: “If we are not allowed to cross Haryana and head towards Delhi, our protest destination will be the border points for a week.”

Meanwhile, Punjab legislators Parminder Dhindsa and Sukhpal Khera were taken into preventive custody by Delhi Police.

Earlier in the day, several protesters and policemen were injured as farmers broke barricades and threw them down from a bridge ahead of the Punjab-Haryana border in Shambhu in Punjab’s Patiala and near Haryana’s Ambala.

Bracing overnight rains and chilly winds, thousands of protesting farmers assembled at various places along the Haryana-Punjab borders on Thursday morning to head towards the national capital for their ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest, but were stopped by the Haryana Police.

Thousands of farmers had been staging sit-in protests ahead of the Dabwali barrier between Punjab’s Bathinda and Haryana’s Sirsa districts and at Khanauri border in Sangrur district, awaiting the decision by their leaders to move towards Delhi.

While activists of the Bharti Kisan Union Ekta-Ugrahan and Sidhupur factions had been camping on the border at Khanauri and Moonak, respectively, since Wednesday evening, other farmer unions changed their plans and decided to head for Delhi from other entry points, like Shambhu.

A huge contingent of police comprising the Rapid Action Force had been deployed at all entry points in Haryana, while residents of several towns located along the Punjab-Haryana border faced a harrowing time due to the heavy deployment of the security forces and snapping of the bus services in the past 24 hours.

Unfazed by the heavy security deployment and barricading on the highway with mounds of earth and huge rocks, protesting farmer Gurdev Singh told the media at the Shambhu border that “We will break all the barricades if we were not allowed to move ahead.”

Farmers said they were ready to face bullets also.

Despite the use of water cannons and tear gas, the protesting farmers, comprising men and women — both young and old — and school and college students riding tractor-trailers, cars and motorcycles, managed to enter Haryana from Shambhu.

Angry farmers threw stones at security forces deployed to control the crowd at the Shambhu border.

They were later joined by thousands of their counterparts from Haryana.

As they reached Kurukshetra district, the local farmers joined them.

As per the police estimates, around 300,000 farmers from both states are set to reach Delhi.

The farmers affiliated to 33 organisations are part of the United Farmers Front, an all-India body of over 470 farmers’ unions that will participate in the indefinite protest in the national capital.

Appealing to the agitating farmers, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said: “Will leave politics if there’s trouble on MSP (minimum support price).”

He also blamed his Punjab counterpart Amarinder Singh for “inciting the farmers”.

Reacting to his accusations, Amarinder Singh replied on Twitter: “Shocked at your response. It’s the farmers who’ve to be convinced on MSP, not me. You should’ve tried to talk to them before their ‘Dilli Chalo’. And if you think I’m inciting farmers then why are Haryana farmers also marching to Delhi?”

Meanwhile, condemning the use of water cannon and tear gas, former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal said: “Today is Punjab’s 26/11. We are witnessing the end of the right to democratic protest. The Akali Dal condemns the Haryana government the Centre for choosing to repress the peaceful farmer movement.”

He said the battle for the rights of Punjab farmers cannot be throttled by using water cannons against them.

Supporting the protest by farmers, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the peaceful demonstration was a constitutional right of the farmers.

The Delhi Police has already asked the farmers not to enter Delhi as they don’t have permission to protest in the city.

Farmers protesting against the farm laws have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporate entities.

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