Farmers Movement Archive

Farm bill: Rajasthan assembly session likely on November 2

JAIPUR: The state government has written to the Speaker to convene an assembly session in the first week of November to bring in a legislation to counter the three farm laws enforced by the Centre last month, sources said on Thursday. The session could be convened as early as November 2. The last assembly session, which was convened from August 14 following the rebellion by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and the political crisis faced by the Ashok Gehlot government, was adjourned on August 24. Since the session was adjourned but not prorogued, the Speaker will not require the governor’s consent to reconvene the House, sources said. “A draft of the bill is being readied. The session will be called in the first week of November to pass the bill,” PCC chief and cabinet minister Govind Singh Dotasra said on Thursday. The state government’s proposed farm law will guarantee to continue procurement of crops at minimum support price (MSP), permit farmers and mandis to approach a civil court over disputes with traders and state control to check black marketing/hoarding. The Congress had been stressing on these aspects not provisioned in the three laws framed by the Centre. Congress-ruled Punjab passed its own law to counter the Centre’s farm laws on Tuesday. Rajasthan might become the second state to do so. In a cabinet meeting held on Tuesday night, the ministers suggested to modify Punjab’s law to suit Rajasthan farmers’ needs. Sources said the state law would continue to allow private players to enter contract farming or buy directly from the farmers as entailed in the Centre’s laws, but would introduce provisions mandating every purchase to be done at MSP. The state was planning to make procurement of crops below MSP a penal offence, said sources. In Rajasthan, the MSP is currently given on seven crops—wheat, gram, black gram (udad), moong, groundnut, soyabean and mustard. Rajasthan might allow farmers the right to end contract farming.

The Times of India

2020-10-23

Jaipur