MUMBAI...

Dr Pradeep Jadhav, medical superintendent, Bhabha Hospital in Bandra, said, “We had requested private hospitals and nursing homes to educate their staff on taking vaccination as it is completely safe. That helped improve the turnout on Friday.”

The vaccination drive began in the city on January 16, with 1,926 HCWs (48%) getting vaccinated. On Tuesday and Wednesday, 50% and 52% of the targets were met. As of Friday, 8,790 HCWs have been vaccinated in Mumbai and 12 minor adverse effects following immunisation have been reported. A few doctors complained of fever, weakness or bodyache.

Meanwhile, the second lot is stored at the cold storage in Parel’s F-South ward office. At a later stage, the Kanjurmarg facility will be activated as the central vaccine cold storage facility. On January 13, the BMC received its first lot of 139,500 vaccine doses from the SII. other than repeal.”

In the negotiations on Friday, there was hardly any issue left to discuss when farm unions told the government at the outset that they wanted nothing short of a full repeal of the laws as well as a new legislation guaranteeing assured prices for farm produce.

Leaders representing the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a collective of farm unions on strike since November, told the government that the farm unions had collectively decided against accepting the government’s proposal to put the laws on hold.

The Modi government has pushed a set of agricultural laws to ease restrictions in farm trade, allow traders to stockpile large quantities of food stocks for future sales and lay down a national framework for contract farming based on written agreements. Farmers say the laws will erode their bargaining power and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.

In the previous round of negotiations with a 41-member delegation representing farm unions on Wednesday, the Union government offered to suspend the three pieces of legislation. It also proposed a committee with representatives from the government as well as farmers to look into “all issues related to the farmers’ agitation”.

The farmers, however, hardened their stand to reject both the proposals instead of agreeing to meet the government midway. They said they would not budge from their demand for a complete repeal of the laws.

“There is no new date for further talks. We will see what to do after January 26, when we will bring out a farmers’ Republic Day parade in Delhi. We appeal to the Delhi Police to allow it,” said Gurnam Singh Chaduni, a senior leader of the agitation.

“In the talks with the (Delhi) police, the officers proposed a roadmap in front of the farmer leaders (on farmers’ Republic Day parade). Leaders will give their reply on this proposal after holding a farm unions’ meeting tomorrow (Saturday),” said Darshan Pal, a senior leader of the agitation.

A senior farm leader, Balbir Singh Rajewal, said farmers were preparing full steam for a peaceful and colourful farmers’ parade on the occasion of Republic Day. He said farmers would now focus on the future course of the agitation.

Yogendra Yadav of Jai Kisan Andolan said it would be wrong to say the talks were inconclusive. “The government has broken off the discussions. What is the logic of suspending the laws for one-and-a-half years? The government hasn’t said anything meaningful yet on a law for minimum support prices,” he said, adding the main reason for not accepting the government’s proposal was that “the suspension is a limited-period offer and not a solution to the demand for a repeal of the laws.”

Experts said the farmers’ position now appeared untenable.

“The issue is no longer about reformist policies and a perceived threat to livelihoods. We haven’t so far heard about any specific fallout of the reforms from the unions. The issue is one of a status quoist demand by farmers and a lack of trust between the two sides,” said Abhinav Saikia, an agronomist with the farm startup IndAgro.