
Protesting farmers on Sunday rejected the Indian government’s offer to hold immediate talks if they ended their blockade of key highways they’ve held as they seek the scrapping of legislation they say could devastate crop prices.(AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
by Nandika Ravi
India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered an indefinite hold on the implementation of new agricultural laws, Chief Justice Sharad Bobde said that the Supreme Court would set up a panel to hear the farmers’ grievances.
“We have the power to make a committee and the committee can give us the report,” he said, ordering the stay for an undisclosed period on the laws passed in September.
Today SC stayed the farm laws & formed a committee. All these were discussed. Events on Jan 26 should go well as it’s a national festival. Farmers assured in their press conference that it’ll be peaceful. It’s being hoped that they’ll call off agitation & go back home: Haryana CM https://t.co/HCIpwZVncF pic.twitter.com/78ZGK0w9zG
— ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2021
India is now witnessing one of the largest farmers’ protests post independence. Farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been protesting at the borders of Delhi since 26 November 2020, demanding the removal of the farm laws enacted in September 2020 – farmers allege that these laws will destroy their source of income and livelihood. Their demands are to the revoke these farm laws, and a written statement that their crops will have a Minimum Support price.
What are these reform laws?
In September 2020, the President of India approved three agriculture bills proposed by the ruling party in India, making them law.
1.The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill: This act controls the production, supply and distribution of essential commodities such as fertilizers, pulses, fruits, oil seeds, seeds of food crops (fruits and vegetables). When any commodity comes under this act, supermarket chains and private companies cannot stock pile these products in times of shortage. However, the new version of this amendment removes essential foods such as cereals, pulses, potato, onions, edible oilseeds and oils from the list, unless the country is in ‘extraordinary’ circumstances such as a war, famine or inflation. The Indian government claims that the implementation of this bill will allow them to directly deal with the private sector that will result in price stability of products, which in turn will end any harassment from traders and middlemen.
The protests are loudest in these states, as the government’s procurement system and MSP mechanism do not benefit farmers from all states. The Indian government sets MSP on 23 crops, but only wheat and rice are procured in significantly larger quantities. In both Punjab and Haryana, the MSP on wheat has been high, making it tough for farmers in these states to let go of this Minimum Support Price.
Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad. https://t.co/KH8nmmKa9j
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 29, 2020
नए कृषि सुधारों से किसान को अब नए विकल्प भी मिले हैं और छल से, धोखे से कानूनी संरक्षण भी मिला है।
अगर किसान को कोई ऐसा खरीदार मिल जाए, जो सीधा खेत से उपज उठाए, जो ट्रांसपोर्ट से लेकर लॉजिस्टिक्स का हर प्रबंध करे और बेहतर कीमत दे, तो क्या किसानों को इसकी आजादी नहीं मिलनी चाहिए? pic.twitter.com/gr7JhutAlS
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 30, 2020