Gita Gopinath, chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, said that “farm bills and labour laws are very important steps in the right direction.” She also stressed that the implementation of these laws must be correct. [45] In January 2021, 866 scientists from several educational institutions signed an open letter expressing their support for the three agricultural laws. The signatories came from “DU, JNU, Gorakhpur University, Rajasthan University, Gujarat University and others”. [46] [47] [48] In February 2021, the U.S. State Department approved laws that would improve market efficiency and private investment, while fostering dialogue between the government and those who oppose the laws. [49] [50] The 2020 Indian Agriculture Bills, often referred to as Farm Bills,[1][2] are three laws initiated by the Indian Parliament in September 2020. The Lok Sabha approved the laws on September 17, 2020 and the Rajya Sabha on September 20, 2020. [3] Indian President Ram Nath Kovind gave his consent on 27 September 2020. [4] Here is an introduction to the three laws and why they were controversial: The Constitution of India, Article 246, has three lists; The list of States mentions “agriculture” 6 times, the Union list 4 times and the simultaneous list 2 times. [19] The laws came into force after the President gave his consent on September 27, 2020. They have led to unprecedented protests by farmers, which have lasted for more than a year. Secondly, these were hastily adopted by Parliament by vote, which is considered by experts to be a violation of established procedures.
It is confusing that laws with serious implications for states are also passed in parliament without further discussion, let alone specific input from stakeholders and experts. Attempts by some to deflect this criticism by pointing to the long history of discussions on agricultural market reform only serve to illuminate the departure from such a tradition in the case of these three laws. Such opaque processes increase the likelihood of poorly formulated laws; In fact, many critics have pointed to serious shortcomings in these laws. Sections 3 and 4 of the law allowed farmers to sell their products to buyers inside or outside the state in areas outside APMC-Mandis. Section 6 prohibited the imposition of market fees or charges under any state CMPA law or other state law relating to transactions outside the APMC market. Article 14 takes precedence over conflicting provisions in state APMC laws, and Article 17 has authorized the Centre to establish rules for the enforcement of laws. Farmers` opposition: Farmers` associations say the law is designed to suit “big companies trying to dominate India`s food and agriculture sector” and weaken farmers` bargaining power. Large private companies, exporters, wholesalers and processors can also gain an advantage. Despite several attempts to explain the benefits to farmers, we have failed.
On the occasion of Guru Purab, the government decided to repeal the three agricultural laws. Addressing the nation on the auspicious occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, Modi insisted that the laws would benefit the peasants, and then apologized to the people of the country, adding that despite its pure heart and conscience, the government could not convince a section of the peasants. “There may have been flaws in our efforts due to which we could not clarify the truth to some of our peasant brothers, as clear as the light of Diya,” he said. He noted that it was Guru Nanak Dev`s birthday and said that was no reason to blame anyone. In 2017, the central government published a number of model agricultural laws. However, the Standing Committee on Agriculture (2018-19) noted that several reforms proposed in the Model Laws had not been implemented by States. In particular, the Committee found that the laws governing Indian agricultural markets (e.g. those relating to Agricultural Market Committees or APMCs) were not applied fairly and honestly or had not achieved their objective.
Centralization was thought to restrict competition and (consequently) participation, with inappropriate commissions, market fees and the monopoly of associations harming the agricultural sector. [22] While it is difficult to disagree with the supposed purpose of these laws, many critics question the premise itself, pointing out that it was naïve at best and insidious at worst; The laws, in fact, are stacking the dice in favour of deep-pocketed companies that would now use this freedom, not to compete, but to circumvent competition in order to take control of supply chains at the expense of farmers. Finally, global data based on data from 61 countries between 2005 and 2015 suggest that, on average, farmers receive only 27% of consumption spending on food consumed at home, with this share declining significantly as national income increases. These laws are the Agricultural Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Agricultural Price Insurance and Services Agreement Act and the Agreement on Agricultural Price Insurance and Services on Essential Goods (Amendment). The case went to court, and on 12 January, the Supreme Court suspended the application of the three agricultural laws pending new orders. Such a delegation of regulatory powers from States to the Centre could, in principle, be justified if there is systematic evidence that the Centre is better informed and better equipped to regulate agricultural markets. Here, the Centre`s own actions under the three laws do not inspire confidence. For example, just weeks after the ECA was amended, the Centre imposed restrictions on onion storage in October 2020 and on a number of pulses in July 2021, apparently undermining the presumed spirit of the reformed ECA it advocated. An attempt by the Bihar government to deregulate CMAs in 2006 did not lead to an increase in farmers` incomes or improved infrastructure.
[66] The three agricultural laws, which have led to unprecedented protests by farmers for more than a year, will be withdrawn, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an astonishing speech to the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his televised address to the nation on May 19. It was announced that the government had decided to repeal the three controversial agricultural laws passed during the monsoon session of parliament last September. READ: 3 land laws will also be withdrawn soon: Rahul Gandhi after bulls start removing barricades at protest site In Gurupurab, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday that the government has decided to repeal the three land laws that were the subject of farmers` protests last year, calling on farmers to stop the unrest and return home. The farmers` protest marks its year on November 26. Farmers, mainly in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting the three laws for nearly a year. Punjab and Uttar Pradesh will participate in general elections early next year. The Farm Act is a legislative package that is passed approximately every five years and has a huge impact on farming livelihoods, how food is grown and how types of food are grown. The Farm Bill covers programs ranging from crop insurance for farmers to healthy access to food for low-income families, from beginning farmer training to supporting sustainable farming practices, and sets the stage for our food and agriculture systems. As a leading advocate for family farming and sustainable agriculture, our job is to ensure that this important law is good for farmers, consumers and the natural environment. The Shetkari Sanghatana, a farmers` union in Maharashtra, supported the bills and wanted the market to decide the prices of agricultural products. She argued that the minimum support prices had actually weakened farmers rather than strengthened them.
[53] [54] As a reminder, the three laws each sought to remove restrictions on buyers to store, contract and purchase agricultural raw materials. While the Essential Products (ECA) Amendment Act 2020 was largely the Centre`s prerogative, the Farmers` Accord (Empowerment and Protection) Act 2020 on Price Insurance and Agricultural Services, which regulates contract cultivation, and the Agricultural Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020 (hereinafter the APMC Circumvention Law), the previous focus was on publicly regulated markets, which were governed by the state`s Farm Products Marketing Committee (APMC) legislation. are therefore within the competence of States. The solution to the many problems of Indian agriculture and Indian farmers would never be solved by the three agricultural laws, not even in the field of marketing. The repeal of these three laws will not reverse or slow the rapid growth of private actors in agricultural marketing over the past two decades, as the 2019 Assessment of Farm Households in India shows.