TAD NewsDesk, Chhattisgarh: After Punjab, and Rajasthan’s plan to do so, the Chhattisgarh government has passed an agricultural bill to stand in solidarity with the protests of farmers. Bhupesh Baghel’s government has brought an agriculture amendment bill which aims to maintain the market prices of farm produce. This step by the government is a show of resistance against the Centre’s farm laws.
The bill has been named as Krishi Upaj Mandi (amendment) Bill, 2020 and was passed in Chhattisgarh assembly on Tuesday after a 2-day debate in the house.
Ravindra Choubey, Chhattisgarh agricultural minister said that the bill primarily focuses on the fluctuating market prices and payment risks for the farmers and to protect them from the same.
Mr Choubey also added that this bill did not directly violate the Central law and hence any direct confrontation could be avoided with the Union government.
He also added that 80% of farmers in Chhattisgarh are small and marginal so they had no or very less capacity to store grain. Because of their financial position they were also in no position to bargain.
“Hence, it was necessary to establish deemed mandis and electronic trading platforms for them”, he added.
The bill facilitates the government to do the following:
- To establish deemed mandis or agriculture markets.
- To transform the private markets as deemed mandis to maintain the marketing notified agricultural yield.
However, the government has departed from Punjab’s bill in a way that it did not ensure a guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) of farm produce. And for this, the government has been criticized by Chhattisgarh Swabhiman Manch president Raj Kumar Gupta.
The bills of various states against the Centre’s farm laws only means the continued resistance and non acceptance of the three bills passed by the Centre in the previous month. The vehement protests have not yet come to hault as the farmers across the country has also announced a nationwide road strike on 5th of November.
Source: Deccan Chronicle
