Farmers Movement Archive

‘Farmers are masters of their destiny now’: Union minister on farm bills

Union minister for education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on Saturday hailed the recently passed three agriculture laws by the Centre saying they have made the farmers the masters of their own destiny. Nishank made the statement while addressing a press conference in Dehradun on the three agriculture laws while accusing the Opposition of protesting against the laws without any basis and provoking the farmers. “The agricultural reforms have freed the farmers from the clutches of the middlemen and have made them the masters of their own destiny,” said Nishank. Hailing the laws as highly beneficial for the farmers, he said, “They have given a new lease of life to the agricultural sector of the country. This will largely help the small farmers while ending the influence of the middlemen when selling their produce.”Also read: Tejashwi Yadav Opposition’s CM candidate, Cong gets 70 seats“The new law enables the farmers to sell their produce directly to the buyers like food processors, wholesalers, aggregators and exporters thus increasing their income,” he said. The Union minister also refuted the claims of the Opposition that the new laws will end the Minimum Support Price (MSP) concept and the existing mandis. “There will be no change in the MSP concept nor in the mandis which will continue to operate as normal,” he said.Nishank also lashed out at the Congress and said, “They didn’t read the laws and the provisions in it and have started protesting against them. If they would have read them carefully, they wouldn’t have been protesting without any basis”.The Congress, however, questioned Nishank’s claims saying he should answer whether “there are any provision of not ending the MSP and mandis”.Suryakant Dhasmana, Congress state vice-president said, “He should first answer if there any provisions of not ending the MSP and the mandis which are like a lifeline to the farmers in selling their produce. He should also answer why has the Centre amended the Essential Commodities Act by removing some items like pulses, potato and onion from the list”.“These are all steps to promote crony capitalism and not to benefit the farmers. These new agriculture laws are to push the farmers into bonded labour at the hands of big industrialists,” said Dhasmana.

Hindustan Times

03-10-2020

India