Report should be made public: SC-appointed agri-panel member

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 22

Anil J Ghanwat, a member of the Supreme Court-appointed committee on farm laws on Monday said the panel’s report should be made public even as he maintained that the legal issues involved should be considered.

“It has been eight months since we submitted the report after studying the three farm laws. It should now be made public… After the government’s decision to repeal the farm laws in the coming Winter Session of Parliament, it (report) is not relevant with regard to the three laws…But there are other suggestions on farmers’ issues,” Ghanwat told The Tribune.

He said there was a meeting held on Monday and discussed in detail whether to make the report public or not. “The other two members gave me the freedom to take a call on this issue. I will decide after analysing the legal consequences, if any,” he said.       

The three-member panel had submitted its report to the top court in a sealed cover on March 19 on measures to end the deadlock. The other two panel members are Pramod Kumar Joshi (Director South Asia international Food Policy), and agriculture-economist and former Chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) Ashok Gulati. The fourth member of the panel Bhartiya Kisan Union President Bhupinder Singh Mann had recused himself.

He had earlier written to the Chief Justice of India to make the report public, saying its “recommendations will pave the way to resolve the ongoing farmers’ agitation.” Ghanwat, President of Shetkari Sanghatan—said he will speak to the Press on Tuesday on the issue in detail.

The panel had held 12 rounds of consultations with various stakeholders, including farmers groups, farmer producers’ organisations (FPOs), procurement agencies, professionals, academicians, private as well as state agriculture marketing boards.

The three central farm laws—Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act – will be repealed in the Winter Session of Parliament commencing on November 29.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.