JOIN USNITI Aayog refuses to provide CMs' panel report on amending new farm laws
A Prime Minister-appointed committee of Chief Ministers is claimed to have "recommended" amending the Essential Commodities Act, one of the controversial laws against which farmers protesting, and other farm reforms. But, NITI Aayog has refused to provide a copy of the report citing that it has not been placed before its Governing Council yet for an "appraisal" of all Chief Ministers.
This, transparency activist Anjali Bhardwaj who filed the RTI seeking a copy of the report said, "indicated" that the farm ordinances were promulgated in June last year and passed in Parliament three months later without the report of the high-powered committee being discussed and analysed by the NITI Aayog Governing Council and being available in the public domain.
The RTI response comes at a time the government is arguing that it has held consultations before the enactment of the Bills.
While introducing the Bill in Lok Sabha on September 14 last year, Minister of State for Agriculture Raosaheb Danve had said that the committee of Chief Ministers were set up before the ordinances were brought up and the panel discussed all points and decided that the Bill should be placed in Parliament. However, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, a member of the committee, had claimed that no such decision was taken.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set up the High-Powered Committee of Chief Ministers for 'Transformation of Indian Agriculture' on 1 July 2019, during the meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog. The then Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis headed the panel which also had the Chief Ministers of Punjab, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh as members.
Bhardwaj sought a copy of the report prepared by the high-powered panel besides minutes, interim report, dates of meetings and list of persons who attended the meeting.
Refusing to provide a copy of the report, the NITI Aayog said the panel has submitted the report and it would be first placed before the sixth Governing Council meeting "as and when it is held, for the appraisal of state Chief Ministers and Governors of union territories who are the constituent members of the Governing Council".
"Hence, at this stage constrained with the sharing of the report," it said.
The High-powered committee had met on July 18, August 16 and September 3 of 2019. While it did not submit any interim report, the RTI denied providing the minutes and list of persons who attended the meeting saying these were part of the report.
Last week, the Ministry of Agriculture had denied Bhardwaj details about pre-legislative consultations on the contentious farm laws with farmers' protesting against it for around 50 days at Delhi borders.