Ajay banerjee
Tribune news service
New Delhi, September 17
Amid widespread protests from farmers across the country, the Lok Sabha passed two more bills related to the agricultural sector.
This even when Shiromani Akali Dal, a part of the NDA’s ruling combo, protested the bills. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister and Akali MP, resigned from the cabinet.
Congress and most of the opposition opposed the bills, calling them “anti-farmers.”
The Chamber passed the two bills: ‘The Farmers’ Trade and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020′ and the ‘Farmers’ Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) on Price Guarantee and Services agricultural, 2020 ‘.
More than five hours of debate followed before the bills were passed around 9.45pm on Thursday.
Sukhbir Singh Badal, chairman of Akali Dal and MP from Ferozepur, said that “the bills will ruin what we have created as agricultural infrastructure in Punjab in the last 50 years.” He was vehemently opposed to the Bills.
Ravneet Singh Bittu, a deputy in the Ludhiana Congress, opposed the bills and called them “black laws”. He asked the Central Government, “why does it intervene, agriculture is a state issue.”
Bittu asked the government not to implement this in Punjab and Haryana and to test it in other states. Punjab, he said, was a border state, ‘don’t screw it.’ “At some point, you go up to SYL and then those Bills come up,” he said.
Punjab Congressional MPs Gurpratap Singh Aujla, Jasbir Singh Dimpa also opposed the bills. AAP MP Bhagwant Mann was among the opponents of the bill. The TMC, the AAP and the BSP also opposed the Bills. The Shiv Sena supported the government, the BJD wanted it to be sent to the standing committee.
In justifying the bills, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Agricultural Welfare, Narendra Singh, called them “revolutionary”. “The farmer will have the freedom to sell products anywhere and to anyone, freeing him to sell the products only in the designated ‘mandi’. Sales made outside the mandi will not attract taxes from the center or state governments. “
The Agricultural Products Market Committee (APMC) will remain in the states, Tomar said, adding that the bills should not be criticized for political reasons. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) system will continue and no contract will be allowed between the private merchant and the farmer that could affect the farmer’s land tenure. Even in the event of a dispute, the farmer’s land cannot be sold to recover damages.
Tomar assured that the government of Narendra Modi is committed to protecting the rights of farmers. The government has paid Rs 92 billion to farmers across the country through the direct profit transfer scheme.
The government says the bills will provide the creation of an ecosystem where farmers and traders enjoy freedom of choice in relation to the sale and purchase of agricultural products. In addition, it will provide a national framework on agricultural agreements that protects and empowers farmers to interact with agricultural companies, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers of agricultural services.
On September 16, the Lok Sabha passed the ‘Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020’, amid strong objection from opposition MPs, who called the measure “anti-farmer and pro- hoarder and pro-corporation ”.
The Lok Sabha that met for the day at 3pm Thursday was suspended until 4pm following an obituary reference to Deputy Balli Durga Prasad Rao of Tirupati Lok Sabha. He was in treatment for COVID-19 and died at a hospital in Chennai on Wednesday.
