UP farmers end protest

Ghaziabad/New Delhi: Hundreds of farmers from Uttar Pradesh squatted on the UP-Delhi border for hours after they were stopped from entering the national capital but withdrew their protest Saturday evening following a government assurance that five of their 15 demands will be met.
A delegation of the farmers met Joint Secretary in the Union Agriculture Ministry Vivek Agarwal, who assured them that their five demands — including early payment of sugarcane arrears and appointment of a representative of farmers on the committee to fix minimum prices of crops — will be met, Bharatiya Kisan Sangathan spokesperson Lalit Rana said.
Rana said the farmers have decided to withdraw the agitation after the assurance. But, he added, that this was “just an interval” and they could return if all demands are not met.
The farmers started their march from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh on September 11. They had decided to reach Kisan Ghat, the memorial of former prime minister and farmer leader Chaudhary Charan Singh, in Delhi, to press for their demands. After reaching the UP-Delhi border, the farmers were stopped Saturday morning from proceeding ahead and they sat on a protest there.
However, a delegation was allowed to go and meet Union government officials at Krishi Bhavan in central Delhi.
The delegation then met Joint Secretary Agarwal, who assured them that five of their 15 demands will be fulfilled, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangathan spokesperson said.
The five demands met are: early payment of sugarcane arrears, cleaning of the polluted tributaries of the Ganges in western UP on priority, appointment of a representative of farmers on the committee to fix minimum prices of crops, and giving insurance benefits to all family members of farmers instead of the family head. (PTI)