Vibha sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 14
The first day of today’s monsoon session saw the Opposition take on the government in Parliament over the introduction of the three agriculture-related legislation to replace ordinances enacted amid the Covid shutdown in June.
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Three bills were introduced to replace the ordinances
- The Draft Law on Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) of Agricultural Products and Agricultural Products
- The Agreement of Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) on Price Guarantee and Draft Law of Agricultural Services
- The Essential Commodities Bill (Amendment)
In response to accusations that the government planned to eliminate the minimum support price (MSP), Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar assured that the support price would be maintained “now and forever.”
Barriers melt between houses
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It was the first time in almost 100 years of Parliament’s history that man-made structures in the form of glass shields were mounted in the LS chamber.
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Members of one Chamber were allowed to cross and sit in the other to adhere to distancing rules.
The day farmers’ organizations registered protests and also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw the three “anti-farmers” ordinances, Agriculture The minister introduced the 2020 draft law on trade in agricultural products and trade (promotion and facilitation) and the agreement to guarantee prices and agricultural services for farmers (empowerment and protection) of 2020, while the minister of state of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Raosaheb Patil Danve introduced the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, at the Lok Sabha to replace ordinances previously enacted by the government.
Opposing the legislation, several members of Congress, including Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari and Jalandhar MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary, accused the government of “destroying the federal structure and harming farmers by putting the agricultural sector in the hands of a few companies and completely eliminate the support price ”. To allay their fears, Tomar said the measures would instead allow for barrier-free trade and allow farmers to interact with investors of their choice. The session, which lasted more than four hours, was suspended for an hour after obituaries to Pranab Mukherjee, vocalist Pandit Jasraj, acting MP Vasanth Kumar and 13 former MPs who recently passed away. The LS also passed two bills: the National Commission for Homeopathy bill, 2020, and the National Commission for the Indian System of Medicine bill, 2020.
To empower farmers
This (Agricultural Trade Bill) will allow farmers to decide the price of their produce. It does not infringe the powers of the Agricultural Products Market Committee Law. – NS Tomar, Minister
Not shipped
Categorically rejecting the Center’s claim that Punjab was incorporated before the enactment of the agricultural ordinances, Captain Amarinder Singh of Punjab CM said that the ordinances were not once discussed with Punjab.
