Odisha To Form Panel To Study Farm Bills; Month-Long COVID Awareness Campaign From Oct 2

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Monday said that a committee of MLAs, MPs and leading farmers’ leaders will be formed to study the provisions of the Farm Bills.

“We will fight for implementation of MS Swaminathan committee recommendation for formulating MSP,” he said while address the BJD legislature party meeting ahead of the monsoon session of the state assembly, starting Tuesday.

The BJD president further said that his party is in favour of any initiative that will bring prosperity in the lives of farmers.

Parliament recently passes three farm bills — the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill (commonly referred to as the APMC Bypass Bill), and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill – amid protests from opposition parties.

The BJD in Rajya Sabha had demanded that two bills be sent to the Select Committee for scrutiny.

On the COVID-19 situation, Naveen said that Odisha has one of the highest recovery rates in the country and a low fatality rate.

“We are the pioneering state to setup dedicated COVID hospitals, Temporary Medical Camps and empowered Gram Panchayats in playing a vital role in COVID management. From food in TMCs to accommodation, testing, lodging, transport, treatment, plasma therapy everything is provided free of cost to COVID patients in the state,” he said.

He informed that a month-long awareness campaign on COVID-19 guidelines will begin on October 2.