On Tuesday, the Central Government informed the Lok Sabha that it will not provide compensation to the bereaved families of those farmers, who lost their lives during protests against the three Farm Laws.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has made the above statement during the Budget session, in response to a question asked by several MPs of whether the Government proposes to give compensation to the families of the farmers who have died during the agitation.
“The central government, during discussions with farm leaders, had ‘appealed many times’ that children and elders, including women, should return back home, in view of the cold and COVID situation and other hardships,” added the Ministry.
Further, in response to a question asked by BJP MP Mukesh Rajput if the Government is planning to end Minimum Support Price, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said, “No Sir, the Government does not have any proposal to end MSP.”
Thousands of protesters, mostly from Punjab, have been camping in the border areas of Delhi-NCR since November 26 raising a demand that the Central Government should repeal the recently passed three farmers laws – 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.
Reportedly, over 70 farmers have died during these protests, several of them due to biting cold weather as they camp out in the open in their tractors and trailors. Some of them died in separate road accidents as they traveled from different states to participate in the protests. At least three died by suicide, “to express anger and pain against the government’s injustice”.
On the other hand, the Delhi Police has registered 39 cases against the protesting farmers.
Earlier on January 12, the Supreme Court while hearing a clutch of pleas on the farmer protests, had disapproved the presence of senior citizens, women, and children at protest sites. The court observed that they were “exposing themselves to serious health hazards posed by cold and COVID”.
