In a major announcement on Guru Nanak Birth Anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his Government had decided to repeal the three farm laws against which farmers from mainly Punjab and Haryana have laid siege to Delhi for the last almost a year.
“On the auspicious day of Guru Nanak Jayanti, I declare that my Government has decided to take back the three farm laws. In the upcoming winter session of Parliament, we would conclude the legislative process of repealing the farm laws. I urge the farmers protesting here with folded hands, please go back to your homes and fields,” the PM announced.
The PM said the farm laws – the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation Act, Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services which pertain to in the first law, creating an option to sell directly to deregulated zones without going through middlemen and paying levies such as the mandi fees, removal of stockholding limits on agricultural produce and creating a framework of contract farming respectively in the last two laws – were brought in with “good intent”.
“We brought the three farm laws with a pure heart and are part of the process to improve farmers’ income and energise their livelihood. A lot of farmers’ organisations and groups supported this also. But some farmers have been unhappy,” he said.
The PM said the Government tried to reach out to the protesting farmers through multiple modes, but they did not agree to take back the protest.
“We tried to talk to them, we even agreed to roll back the provisions that they were against. The Hon’able Supreme Court is also seized of the matter. An expert committee has gone into it. But we have not been able to convince them (the protesting farmers). So, now I urge you, please go back,” said the PM.
The PM said he had seen hardship of farmers in the five decades of his public life, so when he assumed office, his focus was small farmers and their low income. He enlisted the slew of measures that the Government has undertaken to uplift the farm sector.
“About 22 crore soil health cards were given to farmers, which boosted production. Allocation to micro-irrigation is now ₹ 10,000 crore. Small farmers brought under insurance, direct benefit transfer among achievements of this Government. We took steps to increase MSP and made wholesale market transactions online. The Centre's Agriculture budget has increased more than five-old. When I became PM in 2014, we prioritised farmers welfare and development. Many people are unaware of this truth that 80/100 are small scale farmers who have less than 2 hectares of land and are over 10 crore in population. This piece of land is their survival,” he said.