Aditya Vikram Singh /NEW DELHI:
Brought in by Union Government in 2020 – “This is a legal framework to facilitate corporate farming and resource grabbing”, say MPs of Kisan Sansad on Day 5 of Farmers’ Parliament*
Kisan Sansad and Farmers’ protest sites face heavy rains bravely – A deficit sowing picture emerges at the national level however, during this Kharif season.
Parliamentarians raise questions and slogans against anti-farmer farm laws in the Parliament, carry placards – Parties write to the President – Modi Government ‘continues with its arrogant posturing’.
Fishers and Fishworkers of India are wary of the Indian Marine Fisheries Bill 2021 which the Govt has listed in the current session.
Today, another batch of 200 farmers moved to Delhi from Singhu Border in a disciplined and peaceful fashion, as earlier.
On the fifth day of the Kisan Sansad running parallel to the Parliament of India, the debate in the Farmers’ Parliament was on the Contract Farming Act brought in by the Union Government in 2020, in an undemocratic and unconstitutional manner.
Several members who participated in the debate shared their own personal experiences with contract farming too. Experiences included rejection of produce by companies under one garb or the other after an entire season’s toil by the farmer.
They talked about how the central law is about facilitating corporate farming and resource-grabbing. The potential threat to food security from contract farming was highlighted, in addition to environmental degradation. Members also pointed out the cruel joke on farmers, and the irony in the very name of the legislation (“price assurance”), when it was anything but that. The debate on Contract Farming Act will continue tomorrow too.
While the Kisan Sansad continued in its disciplined manner of detailed deliberations and debates, the Parliament of India presented a contrasting picture, but with the theme of farm movement reflected there too. SKM notes that the Question Hour reflected the concerns of farmers and the current struggle.
There were also placards carried into the house and displayed. On the seventh day of the Parliament, there were repeated adjournments. SKM also notes that while seven Opposition parties sent a joint letter to the President of India on important matters including farm laws, 14 parties held a joint meeting to plan together their next course of action, even as MPs have been giving adjournment motion notices.
While lakhs of farmers who are cultivators of crops and orchards, along with livestock rearing, have been protesting for more than eight months now due to unconstitutional and undemocratic farm laws, another category of farmers is now being threatened by The Indian Marine Fisheries Bill 2021.
This Bill is listed for tabling in the Parliament in the current session. The drafting of the Bill has been non-participatory in that no traditional fishers were consulted or included in the process. Fishworkers’ unions are pointing out that this is strategic exclusion and non-recognition of traditional fishing communities by the Government of India.
They are also pointing out that once again, the Marine Fisheries Bill is also about violation of state government’s powers and weakening their financial position too.
The Bill envisages a registration and licensing process which is extremely difficult for traditional fishing communities and impinges on their fundamental right to life and livelihood. Fisher unions are also pointing out how the Bill facilitates the takeover of ocean’s fishing resources by corporates.
There appear to be many more serious lacunae in the Bill, and fishworkers’ unions are rightly demanding that this Bill be not tabled in the Parliament. State governments like Tamil Nadu are also raising this issue with the Union Government.
Rains have been lashing the protest sites where farmers are putting up their resistance from. Farmers are continuing with their daily routine in these ‘protest townships’ cheerfully and without complaints. In the Kisan Sansad at Jantar Mantar too, proceedings were not allowed to be disrupted by the rain, with Members keeping to the time line and discussing the topic in detail. Lunch is being eaten happily, squatting on wet pavements at this Sansad.
On the other hand, due to uneven rainfall pattern and deficit rainfall in some places during the onset of this year’s monsoon in the country, there is significant deficit sowing in several states of the country.
As per reports from the past week, such deficit and uneven rainfall has led to deficit sowing in Maharashtra (which is dealing with floods in some places and lack of rainfall in others), Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh etc..
As usual, there are no protective mechanisms in place from the government, for farmers in such adverse conditions.
(Author Aditya Vikram Singh is a senior journalist currently associated with Democratic Accent. The author has extensive experience in International Relations & Geopolitics. Aditya had previously worked with reputed groups such as Indian Express and Hindustan Times. Any opinion expressed in the write-up are his personal views.)
