Union Cabinet approves proposal to repeal three farm laws
Farmers distribute sweets after PM Modi announced to repeal farm laws on Nov. 19
Bill to be introduced in Parliament on Nov 29
New Delhi, Nov. 24 (Delhi Crown): The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021, a step further towards repealing the three contentious fam laws.
The move to withdraw these contentious laws comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced their scrapping in a TV address on November 19.
Announcing the decision to repeal the agriculture laws, he also apologised to the people of the country and acknowledged that there was a “deficiency” on the part of his government in convincing the farmers about the benefits of these laws.
The Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021, will now be introduced in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament that begins from November 29.
The Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021, is among the 26 new bills the government plans to table during the forthcoming session.
The three laws are 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 to allow 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 produce will be free of mandi tax imposed by the state governments.
The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act was to allow farmers to do contract farming and market their produce freely.
The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act is an amendment to the existing Essential Commodities Act.
The repeal of these three legislations was one of the key demands of protesting farmer unions.
