Farmers’ protest: Ministers Goyal and Munda reach Chandigarh for talks

Chandigarh, Feb 18 (PTI) The panel of Union ministers holding talks with protesting farmers reached Chandigarh on Sunday evening for a fourth round of dialogue with farmer leaders over their demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP.

After reaching here, Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda and Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal went to a hotel where Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav were present.

The meeting between the ministers and the farmer leaders will be held at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has reached the venue.

The two sides had met earlier on February 8, 12 and 15 but the talks remained inconclusive.

Prominent among the farmer leaders who will attend the meeting are Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher, who are spearheading the agitation.

Besides minimum support price (MSP) for crops, the farmers are demanding a loan waiver, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, and withdrawal of police cases. PTI