Farmer’s Protest and Farm Bills

Contents  hide 

1 Farmer’s Protest and Farm Bills

1.1 Niharika

1.2 Farmer’s Protest and Farm Bills

1.3 Introduction

1.4 The three farm bills

1.4.1 The farmer want-

1.4.2 Reference:

1.4.3 Related

Introduction

 

The three farm bills

 

The three farm bills that were introduced in the year 2020 which created panic and exploitation among farmers are namely-

 

1. Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce( Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 (also known as By-Pass Bill)
2. Essential Commodities(Amendment) Bill, 2020
3. Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020
4. The first Farm Bill that is Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 (also known as By-Pass Bill) is the most controversial, this bill limits the APMC’s reach and jurisdiction. This means the sale of the crop produce will not be under any obligation of the APMC Market which leads to that there would be no requirement of the “licenses” needed by buyers. This bill focusses on “creating of an ecosystem where farmers and traders would enjoy freedom of choice”, there are “competitive alternative trading channels” that “promote efficient, transparent and barrier-free inter-State and intra-State outside APMC” (section II.4.1). This bill will also facilitate the electronic trading and permitting trade areas by taking control from state governments.
5. The second Farm Bill that is Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 tries to remove the arbitrariness and uncertainty in notifying stock-limits by linking it to transparent rule-based price triggers. Stock limits may be imposed on agricultural produce only in case where there is a steep price rise. This bill also allows the central government to regulate the supply of some food items only under extraordinary situations. Although this bill is less controversial.
6. The third Farm Bill Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 is also called as ‘Contract Farming Bill’ and it provides a framework of written agreements or contracts between farmers and sponsors by written contracts. This bill excludes ‘land leasing and forbids the Sponsor from building structures on farm land. This bill also facilitates the timely payments by the sponsors to the farmers.

 

• The Farmers Bill and the Government talks about “ONE NATION, ONE MARKET” but these three farm bills have many loopholeswhich will not only exploit the farmers but will make them helpless and they will be forced to sell their crop produce at the lowest price set by the buyers. The new ordinances will have no MSP (minimum selling price), no regulationand no fair treatment. Under this bill the regulation of APMC Mandis will not be there anymore and farmers will be forced to sell their produce on the price set by the buyers and there is no provision of regulation. Central Government will be able to regulate the price and supply of some food items in case of emergency. And the land for farming cannot be leased which will be a great loss to the farmers and sponsors and there cannot be any changes done to the farming land which means that no structure can be built once an agreement is signed by the both parties.
• 10 September 2020 BJP led Haryana Government had asked the Bharat Kisan Union(BKU) not to go ahead with the rally in the view of the coronavirus pandemic. But the Farmers went ahead with the protest on their tractors. Their slogan was “Kisan Bachao Mandi Bachao”. The most widespread protest agreeing taken place in Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh but the protests have also been reported in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Rajasthan. Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh (RKMS) also supported the farmers protest. Farmers blocked highways, major roads in states and also blocked trains to force the Railways to cancel many trains and reschedule them. This protest is also been joined and supported by many celebrities, advocates, politicians, NGO’s, teachers, and many influential people. The Central Government has arranged many meetings with the farmer’s union leaders and no important solution has come out of it.

 

1. As mentioned above this bill will eventually corporatize the Agriculture and big corporates like Reliance will be able to have monopoly rights over agriculture sector of India and it would become even easier to exploit the farmers by buying their produce at low and lower price as many crops like fruits and vegetables become stale and decay in few days that’s why farmers try to sell them as soon as possible and many times they are forced to sell them at lesser price than they deserve and put their labour in.Farmers are protesting because-

 

1. They already had the right to sell their produce wherever they wanted but this bill is trying to take away what they already have.
2. There is no assured MSP
3. There are land acquisition and land sealing acts in the new ordinances
4.  APMC Mandis are well better regulated as compared to what new farms laws will bring

 

The farmer want-

 

• Assured MSP
• Agriculture Empoweration
• Roll Back of Ordinances
• Protect Mandi Market APMC
• Clear Loans
• New laws for Regulation of APMC
• Withdrawal of Electricity Amendment Bill,2020
• Rule Against burning stubble should not apply to them

 

• Farmers already had the right to sell their produce wherever they want but this bill is only trying to manipulate and make them fool. They are protesting since the last year and the BJP Government is not much responding or doing anything to take their ordinances back. This bill will clearly exploit the farmers but the government is only boasting about the pros of the bill while the cons of the bill are way higher as it will do no good to the farmers. Since the last year central government is only increasing on the Delhi borders to control the farmers protest and to block them from entering into the Delhi Historical, Residential, Office and Government sectors. Many farmers have lost their lives in the name of the protest as many have committed suicide and many have lost their lives due to Delhi cold winters, Lathi charge by the Police and Covid.  Even the police officers have lost their lives by the farmers during the protest. A lot of news has been covered up by the government and the media about the actual situation of the farmers protest like:
• Whenever farmers try to trespass the sealed borders or during the lathi-charge Female Police Officers are put in front line so that if they trash or try to beat them, they can be easily put in jail because they would try to trash and beat a woman which is against the law.
• Farmers try to scare the police officers on the duty by taking their kripan out showing it to them which is against the Indian Laws and even if any Sikh try to do so then he can be put in jail and a legal action can be taken against him. But this kind of news has never published in media, newspaper or any social media platform.

 

Many celebrities have and are supporting the farmers even most of the people I’ve seen except any political party or govt. official person.

 

Before the Republic Day in Delhi even more and more Police Force has been put on security and even Army has been called on-duty on the Delhi Borders so that farmers cannot enter in the Delhi, and this is being done to stop them from protesting on the Republic Day on the India Gate, Red Fort, and several other National and Important Monuments and Places. And as expected on 26 January 2021, on the occasion of 72^nd Republic Day on Delhi Borders, India Gate, Red Fort, ITO, and many other places, as expected the farmers didn’t followed the laws and broke their not-so peaceful protest and started spreading violence by crushing the barricades, trashing the PCR’s and buses and setting them on fire. Farmers and many anti-national groups break many laws and disrespected the nation as well as their own National Flag by hoisting their association’s flag. Not only this many Police Officials were severely injured but some of them lost their lives as well because farmers and many anti-national groups attacked the police officers on the Red Fort and at many other places by damaging the public property and running with the sword in their hands to cause damage to the life of the police and all this scenario was all over the news channels and social media.

 

Farmers are not being educated to understand how to do farming better and also they want to take burning stubble rules back which is totally wrong as the smoke of the stubble heavily and lethargically pollute Delhi-NCR, Gurugram and Ghaziabad regions and throughout the winters and even after that the Air-Quality remains the poorest and people are not able to breathe properly in that heavily pollute air. Even the farmers are not fined for it and the government takes no action against them even last year after the Diwali the same thing happened but Delhi Government took no serious action against it.

 

But after all this, this is all showing the cowardliness of the Government and a very obstinate behaviour of not to listen to its own country, to its own people.

 

Reference:

 

1. The Farmer’s Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill,2020
2.  The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill,2020
3.  The Farmer’s Empowerment And Protection) Agreement On Price Assurance And Farm Services Act, 2020