Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Sep 7: Farmers protesting at the Chandigarh-Mohali border called off their agitation on Monday evening after the Bhagwant Mann government gave a written assurance accepting their core demands.

Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian formally handed over the written assurance to representatives of the protesting farmer unions.

Under the agreement, the Punjab government will convene a special session of the Vidhan Sabha within a month to pass resolutions on key issues and forward them to the Centre.

The issues include seeking reconsideration of decades-old water-sharing agreements termed unconstitutional by the farmer unions, repeal of Sections 78, 79 and 80 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act to restore Punjab's riparian rights, annulment of the Dam Safety Act and withdrawal of the Seed Bill, 2025.

Reaffirming the government's commitment to farmers, Khudian said the Bhagwant Mann government believed in resolving issues through dialogue and mutual understanding.

“The Bhagwant Mann Government is fully committed to the welfare of our annadatas. We believe in resolving issues through dialogue and have accepted their genuine demands with full transparency in writing,” he said.

To ease the financial burden on farmers, the minister announced that a One-Time Settlement (OTS) policy would be formulated for outstanding loans, particularly those taken from cooperative banks, including the Punjab State Cooperative Bank and cooperative societies.

A committee will be constituted in consultation with all political parties to formulate the OTS policy, Khudian said, adding that it would help reduce the debt burden on farmers.

On sugarcane pricing, Khudian said Punjab would continue to offer the highest sugarcane price in the country. He said directions had been issued on Monday to put up the file for fixing the sugarcane price, ensuring that the process begins without delay.

The minister also assured that pending dues owed to farmers by private sugar mills would be cleared in a time-bound manner.

“The ‘One Window, One Payment’ system, presently applicable to cooperative mills, will be extended to private mills as well,” he said.

For the remaining demands of the farmer unions, Khudian said a joint committee comprising senior Punjab government officials and representatives nominated by the unions would be constituted.

The committee will examine the pending issues and work towards resolving them at the earliest, he added.