Updated: September 21, 2020 7:59:59 pm
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday that the agricultural reform bills passed by Parliament are “necessary for India in the 21st century.” To allay farmers’ fears, Modi said: “I want to make it clear that these laws are not against ‘mandi’ farming, it will continue as usual. I want to assure all farmers that the minimum support price system will continue as before ”.
The Prime Minister’s statements arrive amid opposition protests on the passing of the bill in Rajya Sabha. By attacking the opposition, Modi said some people are trying to “mislead and instigate farmers” as they “feel that control is slipping out of their hands.”
Addressing the nation, while laying the groundwork for nine road projects in Bihar, Modi said: “Yesterday, two agricultural bills were passed in Parliament. I congratulate my farmers. This change in the agricultural sector is the need of the present moment and our government has brought this reform to the farmers ”. “Previous production and yield laws had tied the hands of farmers. People were taking advantage of farmers, so it was important to make a change in this situation, ”Modi said.
After the bill was passed in Rajya Sabha on Sunday, Modi said the passage of the legislation was a “watershed moment in the history of Indian agriculture.” “For decades, the Indian farmer was subject to various constraints and harassed by middlemen. The bills passed by Parliament free farmers from such adversities. These bills will fuel efforts to double farmers’ incomes and ensure greater prosperity. This is a welcome step, ”Modi tweeted.
I said it before and I say it one more time:
The MSP system will be maintained.
Public procurement will continue.
We are here to serve our farmers. We will do our best to support them and ensure a better life for their next generations.
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 20, 2020
The Rajya Sabha on Sunday witnessed tumultuous scenes during the passage of contentious farm bills – Draft Law on Trade in Agricultural and Agricultural Products (Promotion and Facilitation), 2020; and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, as members of opposition parties stole and threw papers from the table and even broke the president’s microphone.
Farmers protest in Patiala on Friday
The agricultural bills have sparked strong protests among farmers, especially in northern India, who say the legislation will affect their profits, but the government maintains that it will make it easier for farmers to sell their produce directly to large buyers. The opposition of farmer groups in Punjab and HaryanaIt is mainly the first ordinance that allows the sale and purchase of crops outside the mandis of the APMC (Agricultural Products Market Committee) regulated by the state government.
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