Farmers Movement Archive

Union Cabinet approves bill to repeal three contentious farm laws

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021 –  a draft legislation to repeal the three controversial farm laws which triggered extensive protests around the borders of the national capital for nearly a year. According to those familiar with the development, the official brief for the Cabinet meeting will be provided by Union minister Anurag Thakur at the National Media Centre in New Delhi later on in the day.The official nod to the proposal to withdraw the farm laws, which were passed by Parliament in September last year, comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement to scrap the contentious pieces of legislation. In a televised address on Gurpurab, the Prime Minister had said that his government will be repealing the agriculture laws; he had also personally apologised to the people of the country and acknowledged that there was a “deficiency” in attempts to convince the farmers.The Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021, will now be introduced in the Lok Sabha for passage in the upcoming winter session of Parliament beginning on November 29. The agriculture ministry is deliberating on the exact dates to discuss the three laws in the forthcoming Parliament session, informed Union minister Prahlad Joshi a day ago.The bill – which has been listed for introduction and passage among the 26 new bills on the agenda of the government – seeks to repeal the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance, Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act provides for setting up a mechanism allowing the farmers to sell their farm produce outside the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs). Any license-holder trader can buy the produce from the farmers at mutually agreed prices. This trade of farm produces will be free of mandi tax imposed by the state governments.The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act allows farmers to do contract farming and market their produces freely.The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act is an amendment to the existing Essential Commodities Act.The repeal of these three legislations has been one of the key demands of around 40 farmer unions protesting against these reforms for nearly a year now.

Hindustan Times

24-11-2021

India