New Delhi: The Centre on Monday introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha on the farm sector asserting the Minimum Support Price(MSP) for agriculture produce is here to stay as farmers in Punjab continued their protests against the proposed laws.
“I want to assure on behalf of the government that MSP was there, is there, and will continue to be there,” Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told the lower house on the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament amid opposition by the Congress and other non-BJP parties against the legislations.
Tomar introduced ‘The Farmers’ Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill’ and ‘The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill’, while Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Raosaheb Danve introduced ‘The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill’. The bills seek to replace the ordinances promulgated by the government earlier.
The opposition parties have alleged that the new laws will undermine the safety net provided to the farmers by the MSP system and will lead to their exploitation by big companies.
“This is a case of legislative overreach and a direct attack on the federal structure of the Constitution,” Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said while opposing the bills.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to allege the ordinances were a “deadly attack” on farmers and agricultural labourers.
Farmers in Punjab blocked several roads including the Amritsar-Delhi national highway and held agitations in different parts of the state to protest the farm ordinances.
While different farmers’ outfits raised slogans against the Centre for bringing the “anti-farmer” ordinances and demanded their rollback, commuters faced inconvenience due to the road blockade as authorities diverted traffic through other roads.
In the Lok Sabha, Tomar said the proposed legislations will help farmers get a remunerative price for their produce as well as private investments and technology. The new laws will enable barrier-free trade in agricultural produce, and also empower farmers to engage with investors of their choice, he added.
The minister said these steps are only the latest in a series of measures taken by the government as part of its continuous commitment to championing the cause of welfare of the farmers of India. Tomar said that almost 86 per cent of farmers have agricultural land of less than two hectares and they are often unable to benefit from the MSP.
The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill provides a framework for the protection and empowerment of farmers with reference to the sale and purchase of farm products.
The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, bars state governments from imposing taxes on sale and purchase of farm produce undertaken outside the mandis and give farmers the freedom to sell their produce at remunerative prices. Besides, any conflicts arising from the transactions will be dealt with exclusively by the Sub Division Magistrate (SDM) and District Collectorate within 30 days and not in the jurisdiction of civil courts. (PTI)
