Farmers Protest: No State Demanded Repealing Of Farm Laws At NITI Aayog Meet Presided By PM Modi

After Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh said in a statement that he urged Prime Minister (PM) Modi to ensure urgent resolution to the ongoing farmers' unrest, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar clarified that no one spoke about farm laws in the sixth governing council meeting, reports The Times Of India.

“I can assure you that nobody discussed the farm laws at today’s meeting,” Kumar told a news conference after the end of the meeting. He said that though several states had talked about the farm, none of the states had demanded that the three farm laws be repealed.

Earlier Punjab state government release said that CM Singh, who couldn't attend the meeting due to ill-health, recorded a message for the PM expressing concerns over the threat to Punjab's agriculture sector as a result of the disruptions caused by the three new farm laws.

The sixth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog was held on Saturday (20 February) under the chairmanship of PM Narendra Modi via video conferencing. It was attended by 26 Chief Ministers, three Lieutenant Governors and two Administrators.

Addressing the event, the Prime Minister said that Cooperative Federalism is the foundation of India’s progress. Cooperative and Competitive Federalism should be made more effective and taken to the district level.

He emphasized on strengthening MSMEs and start-ups. Every state, every district, has its unique strengths, he added. He said products should be shortlisted from every district and promoted to create healthy competition among all districts and states, which will help boost exports.