Year-long assembly of farmers dissolves

New Delhi: The agitating farmers at various borders of the national capital, protesting the three contentious agricultural laws and several related issues, have decided to call off their struggle on Thursday, soon after the Centre agreed to their demands.

The farmers' unions have said the protesters will head back home after vacating Singhu border, the epicentre of the 14-month-long protests, near Delhi on Saturday before offering prayers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on December 13. The development came hours after the government sent a letter to the farm unions, accepting their demands, including the withdrawal of all agitation-related cases, compensation to the families of farmers who died during the course of the movement against the agriculture laws and continuing the ongoing policy on Minimum Support Price (MSP), among others.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella of various farmers' unions spearheading the movement, said the group would convene in Delhi on January 15 to review the implementation of government's assurances. Last week, the SKM formed a five-member panel to hold talks with the government on the pending demands of the protesting farmers. The SKM leaders met on Wednesday to discuss on the Centre's olive branch offer.