PM Narendra Modi had sleepless nights over concern for farmers, says Anil Agarwal

PM Modi had sleepless nights and called all over the world to find a solution, Vedanta Resources Executive Chairman Anil Agarwal recalled

Amid talks and reactions over Centre's handling of the ongoing farmers' protests across the country, Vedanta Resources Executive Chairman Anil Agarwal recalled an anecdote to emphasise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concern for the issue.

In a series of tweets, he said, "Our PM Shri @narendramodi has the greatest priority for the farmers and is always thinking about how he can help them. I remember an incident during the locust attack last year."

"He had sleepless nights & called all over the world to find a solution. He insisted on airlifting the machines so that the deliveries of the machines from UK could be fast-tracked. He did not rest till a solution was found," he added in the microblogging social platform Twitter.

Vedanta Resources is the vehicle through which Agarwal owns a 55.11 per cent stake in mining group Vedanta Limited.

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Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late November 2020 at Delhi's borders, demanding a repeal of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations.

However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.

(With inputs from PTI)