Farmers Movement Archive

State govt giving final shape to farm bill draft

Jaipur: The state’s agriculture department is in the process of finalising the draft of the bills to be introduced in the special session of assembly to reject the three farm laws passed by the Centre. The dates for the special session will be announced only after finalising the draft. “The draft is being prepared by the agriculture department. After preparation, it will be examined by the legal department. The special session will be called only after finalising the draft,” said an official.It is believed the laws brought by the Centre will be overturned on similar lines as that of Punjab.Punjab became the first state to legislatively counter the Centre’s contentious farm laws when its assembly unanimously passed on Tuesday three agriculture bills, along with another bill protecting the state’s farmers from attachment of their land holding up to 2.5 acres in any recovery proceeding by any court in the state.Punjab’s bills essentially seek to amend the provisions of the three central laws and, among other things, provide for imprisonment of not less than three years and fine for a person who “harasses/ compels a farmer to sell his agricultural produce below MSP”.Punjab’s bills also restore the primacy of Agriculture Produce Market Committee Act over the central legislations. They also protect consumers from hoarding and black marketing of agricultural produce.The state cabinet on Tuesday decided to call a special session of the assembly against the three farm laws passed by the Centre. During the meeting, the ministers under the chairmanship of CM Ashok Gehlot discussed three farms bills: The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020.“INC under the leadership of Smt #SoniaGandhi ji& #RahulGandhi ji stands absolutely with our annadatas and will continue to oppose the anti-farmer laws passed by NDA Govt. Today Congress Govt in #Punjab has passed Bills against these laws & #Rajasthan will follow soon,” Gehlot tweeted on Tuesday night.

The Times of India

2020-10-23

Jaipur