Pawar welcomes SC order to stay implementation of 3 farm laws

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to stay the implementation of three farm laws and set up a four-member panel to resolve the impasse between the government and farmer unions over the legislations.

He said the move was a big relief for farmers and hoped that a concrete dialogue between the central government and farmers will be initiated now.

Farmers have been protesting at various border points of Delhi for more than a month now, demanding a repeal of the three laws.

''A welcome decision taken by the Apex Court of India to put on hold the implementation of three farm bills and set up a four-member committee to resolve the issues. #SupremeCourt #FarmLaws.

''It is a big relief for farmers' and I hope that a concrete dialogue between the Central government and farmers' will be initiated now, keeping the farmers' interests and well-being in mind,'' Pawar said in a tweet.

Earlier, the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the three laws -- the Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act -- against which several petitions have been filed challenging their constitutional validity.

It also set up the committee comprising BKU president Bhupinder Singh Mann, Shetkeri Sangathana, Maharashtra president Anil Ghanwat, Pramod Kumar Joshi, director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute, and agriculture economist Ashok Gulati.

Last month, Pawar, who was the Union agriculture minister from 2004 to 2014 in the Manmohan Singh government, along with other opposition leaders including Congress's Rahul Gandhi met President Ram Nath Kovind and sought a repeal of the three farm laws.