Police action did not claim any farmer's life - Government claim

The farmers' agitation gave rise to many questions on multiple aspects of governance and police action.

Police action did not claim any farmer's life - Government claim

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• The story: It was a long, hard and torturous agitation by the farmers, against the new farm laws of Modi government. Various farmer groups protesting against the three new laws, eventually saw them get scrapped. The year-long protest at the Delhi borders was suspended by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on 9th of December, 2021, after the Union government accepted some key pending demands, including withdrawal of police cases against the protesters and on Minimum Support Price (MSP).
• Claim: The Union government said that no farmer died due to police action during the year-long protests by farmers. That was in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, by the Agriculture Minister. He also parried the question stating that "the subject of compensation, etc. to the families of the deceased farmers in the farmers movement is with the concerned state governments". MPs had asked whether the government is planning to provide or made any provision towards livelihood monetary compensation to the families of the farmers who died during farmers' protests.
• Political side of it: The opposition parties, including the Congress, have been raising the issue of deaths of farmers during the year-long protests. The SKM, which suspended the protests after receiving a formal letter from the Union government accepting their key pending demands, also said that farmers would celebrate December 11 as 'Vijay Diwas' and take out victory marches following which they will head home. The SKM is an umbrella body of 40 farm unions.

1. Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, were protesting at various Delhi borders from late November 2020, seeking repeal of the three farm laws.
2. On November 29, Parliament passed a Bill to repeal the three laws. 

• The MSP issue: The farmers have stayed firm on the demand for legalizing MSPs. They say that irrespective of who purchases the product from them, the price must be the MSP. The MPs too questioned the government on this aspect, to which the Agriculture Minister replied that a formal formation of a committee to promote zero budgeting based agriculture, to change crop pattern as per the changing needs of the country and to make MSP more effective and transparent was under consideration.

1. MPs asked if the government proposes to bring a law to give legal guarantee to MSP for every crop as recommended by Swaminathan Commission
2. The reply was that the government had already implemented in 2018-19 the recommendation made by the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) to fix MSP at at least 50 per cent profit on weighted average cost of production.
3. As on date, the Centre fixes MSP for 22 mandated agricultural crops and Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
4. The MSP for toria and de-husked coconut are also announced based on the MSP of rapeseed and mustard and copra, respectively. 

• Summary: The farmers' agitation has pumped new life into other agitations in India, viz., the banking employees' agitation and the trade unions' protests against the new Labour Codes. In the coming months, a lot of tricky issues will need to be resolved with tact and care.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) What are the reasons the government finally gave into the demands of the farmers? Explain. (2) What governance challenges do agitations throw up, from a government perspective? Explain.

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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