New Delhi [India], September 20 (ANI): Rajya Sabha on Sunday passed the Farmers‘ and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, amid protests by Opposition MPs.
The Bills were passed by voice vote in the Upper House. Both of these Bills were passed by the Lower House with a voice vote a couple of days back.
Opposition MPs came in the well of the House and raised slogans against the bills. Soon after passage of these Bills, Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 9 am on Monday.

Earlier today, the Bills were moved by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar moved in the Rajya Sabha.
Moving the Bills, the Minister said, “The two Bills are historic and will bring a change in the lives of the farmers. They will be able to freely trade their produce anywhere in the country. I want to assure the farmers that these Bills are not related to Minimum Support Price.”
The Farmers‘ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 permits the electronic trading of farmers’ produce and allows the setting up transaction platforms for facilitating direct online buying and selling of farm products.
The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 provides for a farming agreement prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce. A guaranteed price to be paid for the purchase of farming produce will be mentioned in such agreements.

Agriculture sector Bills will turn farmers into slaves: DMK

New Delhi [India], September 20 (ANI): Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP TKS Elangovan on Sunday said that the Bills on agriculture sector reform will turn farmers into slaves.
“Farmers who contribute at least 20 per cent to the total GDP of the country, will be turned into slaves by this Bill. This Bill will not help farmers. It will kill the farmers and make them a commodity,” Elangovan said in the Rajya Sabha.
“Farmers are left to discuss with traders to fix the price. The Bill is an insult to farmers,” he said.

“Farmers are agitating while the traders are enjoying. It should have been both should enjoy the freedom of choice. So when farmers are not enjoying why this Bill, throw this out,” the DMK MP said.
“This Bill will be used ultimately to sell the farmers themselves as slaves to the big industrial houses,” he added.
Earlier today, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar moved two agriculture Bills in the Upper House.
These Bills are — Farmers’ and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. Both of them were passed by the Lower House with a voice vote a couple of days back.

Centre rushing agriculture Bills, did not consult any farmers association: Ram Gopal Yadav

Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Ram Gopal Yadav on Sunday said that the Central government is rushing with the agricultural Bills and alleged that it did not even consult any farmers association on the issue.
“They are bringing Bills related to agricultural sectors on which over 60 per cent population of the country depend upon, but it appears that there is a compulsion that the ruling party does not want a debate or discussion on these Bills. They are only rushing through these Bills. You have not even consulted any farmers association. You have not discussed even with RSS’S Majdoor Kisan Sangh,” Yadav said during a discussion on two agriculture Bills in the Rajya Sabha.
“BJP MP Bhupender Yadav said that agriculture contributes to 12 per cent to GDP, now. When we got freedom, the contribution of agriculture was 50 per cent. The contribution of agriculture in GDP during 2014-15 was 17-18 per cent, You were in power since 2014. Why it reduced then?” he added.

The senior leader further said that over 84 per cent of farmers have less than 2 acres of land, “where will he go to sell their crops? There is no mechanism to address the farmers problem in the bills. Can you guarantee us that farmers will get a better price for their crops? Everything in this Bill is anti-farmers.”
The statements came after Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar moved two agriculture Bills in the Upper House.
These Bills are — Farmers‘ and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. Both of them were passed by the Lower House with a voice vote a couple of days back.
The Farmers‘ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 permits the electronic trading of farmers’ produce and allows the setting up transaction platforms for facilitating direct online buying and selling of farm products.
The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 provides for a farming agreement prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce. A guaranteed price to be paid for the purchase of farming produce will be mentioned in such agreements.

Democracy ashamed of way govt issued ‘death warrant’ against farmers: Rahul Gandhi on farm bills

Slamming the agriculture bills passed by Rajya Sabha on Sunday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the democracy is ashamed of the way these bills have been passed.
Taking to Twitter, Gandhi wrote (roughly translated from Hindi), “The farmer who grows gold from the earth, Modi government’s pride is making that farmer cry tears of blood. Democracy is ashamed of the way this government issued a death warrant against farmers by passing these bills in Rajya Sabha.”
Earlier today, Opposition parties submitted a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh after he overruled opposition pleas for postponing Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s reply to the debate on the two farm bills till Monday since the sitting time scheduled of the House was over.
The motion, signed by around 100 members has been submitted in the notice office of the Parliament as the secretary-general was not present.
This came after The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill passed by Rajya Sabha today amid protest from Opposition parties.

The two bills have already been passed the Lok Sabha.

Farm legislations will snatch livelihood of 62 crore farmers: Surjewala

Congress Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday said that the central government has passed legislation on agriculture to snatch away the livelihood of 62 crore farmers in the country.
“The Modi government has passed the law to snatch the livelihood of farmers on the basis of number force, but how will they implement it? The government has used hooliganism and it has forcibly passed the law and taken away the livelihood of 62 crore farmers,” Surjewala told ANI.
“I have tried to show the blind deaf and dumb government a mirror of truth. When Parliament becomes hostage, there is no other option but to raise the voice,” he added.
The Congress spokesperson further said that the Modi government will now have to face the wrath of the farmers after it has passed the law.
“Modi government will now have to fight against the 62 crore farmers. Now, there will be a war inside the villages of India. This law challenges the livelihood of 62 crore people. Congress workers will have to fight against this law. We will fight together till even if a single strand of blood runs in our veins,” he said.
“In the 73 years of history of independent India, this is perhaps the darkest day. Modi Ji and the Modi government have attacked the farmers of the country and farm labourers. These three black laws will be considered as the darkest chapter in the history of this country,” he added.
Surjewala further questioned how the farmers of the country will get Minimum Support Price (MSP) if they are left to the market forces.

“The government should tell us how the farmers will get MSP. If big companies do not buy the farmers‘ crops at the minimum price, then who will guarantee MSP?” he asked.
“A total of 86 per cent of the farmers own less than 5 acres of land and they are being tempted to go from village to mandi to sell their produce. Most of the farmers do not have tractors. How will the farmer of Haryana sell in Kolkata? How the farmer of Maharashtra will sell the crop elsewhere?” he added.
Earlier today, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram targeted Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and asked him how will he ensure that Minimum Support Price (MSP) will be given to farmers when there is no data of private trade available with the government.
“Agriculture Minister says that the government will guarantee that the farmer will get MSP. Private trade takes place even today. The price paid to the farmer is invariably less than MSP. If the Agriculture Minister can magically ensure MSP, why has he not done that so far?” Chidambaram tweeted.
“How will the Minister know which farmer sold his produce to which trader? How will he know the millions of transactions that will take place every day all over the country? If he does not have the data, how will he guarantee MSP is paid in every transaction?” he added.
The government has earlier passed three legislations on agriculture. (ANI)