The Union Government has turned down the demand to repeal the three farming laws, but it has sent a draft proposal to allay the fears of farmers on Wednesday afternoon. The Central Government agreed to give written assurance on continuation of Minimum Support Price (MSP) system.
Union Government had already cleared its stand regarding the bill to farmers when their leaders met the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. However, the Centre agreed to make seven amendments to address their points of concerns regarding MSPs and Mandi system.
The Centre’s draft proposals include written assurances on MSP system, to allow states to register the private traders outside government Mandis and government will be able to collect/impose fee much like the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC). The draft proposal reads that Government will make necessary amendments so as to keep the option of farmers approaching civil courts and not just to Sub-Divisional Magistrate to resolve disputes in contract farming. No loan will be lent for any construction on contracted land nor will the sponsor allowed to encroach upon such construction after the end of contracts. The laws will also proscribe lease, mortgage or sale of farmers’ land and the sponsors wouldn’t even allow to acquire the ownership rights or modify on such lands.
The Centre has offered an olive branch and has proposed to resolve all the points of contentions and concerns for the farmers. With recent success in Rajasthan rural bodies’ election, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was confident that the victory is testimony to the acceptance of new agriculture laws in a large part of the agriculture community.
