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The report on farm laws submitted to the Supreme Court (SC) should be made public for debate and discussions said Anil Ghanwat, Shetkari Sanghatana leader and member of the SC-appointed panel on farm laws.
“It is now five months that we have submitted our report to the SC. It is high time to take the farm laws to some conclusion. Farmers have been agitating for the last several months now. Also, there should public debate on the committee’s report so that farmers and people come to know about the recommendations made by us,” said Ghanwat speaking to BusinessLine on Monday.
The three laws which were passed by Parliament in September last year and are being opposed by some farmers’ unions. The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act are the laws under the scrutiny.
On January 12, the SC suspended the implementation of the three laws and appointed a four-member committee of experts. The committee was given a mandate “to listen to the grievances of the farmers on the farm laws and the views of the government and make recommendations”.
Ghanwat said that the committee has prepared its report after consultations with all stakeholders. However, farm unions agitating against the laws refused to meet the panel. “The matter can’t be kept pending for months and years. If such a situation prevails, no government will dare to introduce any farm reforms for the next 50 years,” said Ghanwat.
Garnering support for laws
Shetkari Sanghatana, formed by late Sharad Joshi, has advocated strongly for farm laws. As farmers opposing the laws are intensifying their agitation ahead of State elections in Uttar Pradesh, Sanghatana members in Maharashtra are garnering support for the law.
Sanghatana leaders said that the Central government might succumb to the “pressure” by farmers’ organisation opposing the law ahead of the State elections. In this case, Sanghatana plans to launch an agitation for the implementation of laws.
Farmers’ unions opposing the laws have insisted that the government must withdraw it as all the provisions are “anti-farmers” and meant to help a few industrial houses.
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