Rakesh Tikait, Bird Flu, farm law, farm protest, PM Modi, SC, migratory birds

12 January 2021

• Rakesh Tikait welcomes SC order, but says farmer protests will continue

  Farmer leaders on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court decision to suspend the three farm laws but said they will not leave the protest site till the three laws were repealed.
  
  Speaking to media after the Supreme Court order, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said, "Our protest will continue. We are demanding that the government repeal the three laws and also make a law to guarantee Minimum Support Price (MSP) for our produce."

• Bird flu: 1,500 crows, birds found dead in MP so far

  Around 1,500 crows and wild birds have died so far in 41 districts of Madhya Pradesh since the outbreak of bird flu. There have been confirmed cases of bird flu across 18 districts in the state. As many as 334 samples collected from various districts have been sent for testing to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal.
  
  Animal Husbandry Minister Prem Singh Patel has said all efforts are being made to control the spread of bird flu in the state. 

• SC stays 3 farm laws, forms panel to hear farmers' grievances

  In a major decision, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of all three farm laws and also formed a committee comprising mostly agriculturists to hear the grievances of the farmer unions against the laws.
  
  A bench headed by Chief Justice S. A. Bobde said, "We are going to suspend the implementation of the three farm laws until further orders."

• Don't feed migratory birds: Announcements in Varanasi

  The district administration in Varanasi has banned feeding of migratory birds in the Ganga river and along the Ghats.
  
  Public announcements are being made on the Ghats, asking people not to feed the birds in view of the bird flu scare. Migratory birds arrive in large numbers in Varanasi during the winter season and tourists go on boats and feed these birds.

• DMK's Stalin welcomes SC's order on the farm laws

  DMK President M.K.Stalin on Tuesday welcomed the apex court's decision to stay the three farm laws.
  
  In a tweet, Stalin said: "I welcome the decision of the Supreme Court to stay the farm laws in the cases filed by various parties including DMK." He urged the central government to commit to repealing the three farm laws in the next Parliament Session.