New Delhi: The Parliament gave its nod to the two contentious agriculture Bills, in spite of the resistance just as long-lasting BJP alliance Shiromani Akali Dal naming it an “against farmer” move.
Priest of Food Processing Industries and the main SAD delegate in the Modi government, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, left the Union Cabinet, protesting against the bills, asserting the Bills to be unfavourable to Punjab’s agriculture bills.
What are the three Bills in conflict?
Out of the three bills, Lok Sabha, through voice vote, passed the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill was passed prior in the week. Agribusiness Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the bills won’t supersede the Minimum Support Price mechanism, and sufficient insurance of land possession was set up to ensure rancher interests. They will presently be postponed in Rajya Sabha and will become laws after the Upper House passes them.
What are they for?
The government has said these reforms will quicken development in the segment through private division interest in building infrastructure and supply chains for farm produce in national and worldwide markets. The bills, passed by India’s parliament this week, make it easier for farmers to sell their produce directly to private buyers and enter into a contract with private companies. The government hopes private sector investments will stimulate growth.
These bills are planned to help little farmers who don’t have intentions to either foresee their goods to improve cost or put resources into innovation to improve the profitability of farms. The bill on the Agri market looks to permit farmers to sell their produce outside APMC ‘mandis’ to whoever they need. Farmers will show signs of improvement costs through rivalry and cost-cutting on transportation. In any case, this Bill could mean states will lose ‘commissions’ and ‘mandi fees. The enactment on contract cultivating will permit farmers to go into an agreement with agri-business firms or enormous retailers on pre-concurred costs of their produce. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, tries to eliminate wares like oats, beats, oilseeds, consumable oils, onion and potatoes from the rundown of basic wares. This will end the inconvenience of stock-holding limits aside from under unprecedented conditions.
Who are protesting?
Farmers in Punjab have composed a three-day protest against the bills. Badal, as well, offered her resignation after the Bills were passed. Resistance parties, including TMC, Congress, DMK and BSP, restricted the horticulture division change charges, saying they were against the interests of little and marginal farmers. Congress increased its risk against the Modi government, naming the move a conspiracy to defeat the Green Revolution.
Slamming the government, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi stated: “Perhaps, for the farmers this day will be written in black letters as we are seeing that farmers are in distress, they are not getting proper prices for produce, trade is suffering and they are unable to give daily remuneration to those working on the farms,” he said.
The bills that have been brought in are not to help the farmers, but to help the corporate sector and big capitalists, he alleged adding that the “MSP that farmers get is in danger”.