The committee appointed by the Supreme Court to help resolve the impasse on new farm laws began consultations and held its first meeting with 10 farmer unions from eight states on Thursday.
Ten farmer organisations from Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh participated in the discussions with the three-member committee, a statement released by the panel noted.
"The farmers' unions participated in the discussion and gave their frank opinion including suggestions to improve the implementation of Acts," the statement said, mentioning that the interaction took place via video conferencing on Thursday.
The apex court had on January 11 stayed the implementation of the three laws, against which farmers are protesting at Delhi borders for nearly two months now, till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse.
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Currently, there are three members in the panel as the fourth, Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann, has recused himself from the committee.
The participating farmer bodies were asked to give their views on 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.
President of Maharasthra-based Shetkari Sanghatana Anil Ghanwat and agri-economists Ashok Gulati and Pramod Kumar Joshi are the three members of the panel.
With PTI inputs
