India / Union Cabinet clears Bill to repeal 3 farm laws

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has approved draft legislation to repeal the Farm laws presented today in the cabinet meeting today which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Union Minister Anurag Thakur informed in a press briefing that the Cabinet led by PM Modi completed formalities to repeal the three Farm Laws. Thakur further said that during the upcoming session of the Parliament, it will be the government's priority to take back these three laws.

The repeal bill is looking at rolling back three agri laws passed last year – Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement to repeal the three contentious Farm Laws on the occasion of Gurpurab. PM Modi said that the government has taken the decision in the interest of the nation. 

The Centre has now listed The Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021, in its agenda for the winter session of the Parliament beginning on November 29. Meanwhile, the agriculture ministry is deliberating on the exact dates to discuss the three laws in the forthcoming Parliament session, informed Union minister Prahlad Joshi.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) , an umbrella body of around 20 farmers' unions, will be going ahead with their planned march to Parliament on 29 November to observe one year of anti-farm law protests. In an open letter to Prime Minister, the SKM thanked him for the repeal of the three farm laws, but noted that "after 11 rounds of talks, you chose the path of unilateral declaration rather than a bilateral solution".

The decision on scrapping the laws comes ahead of crucial state elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

What are the three Farm Laws?

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act provides for setting up a mechanism allowing the 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 produces will be free of mandi tax imposed by the state governments.

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act allows farmers to do contract farming and market their produces freely.

The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act is an amendment to the existing Essential Commodities Act.