New farms bills assault on farmers� income: Khera

Jammu | 24 Sept 2020

Pawan Khera � National Spokesperson of Indian National Congress has said that the three anti- farmers bills passed by the BJP Government would adversely affect the interests of 62 crores farmers and farm labours by destroying the Agriculture Produce Market System (APMC), thereby the farmers would neither get the minimum support price (MSP) not he would get the market rate of his produce .
Addressing a press conference here today in Jammu alongwith PCC President Shri Ghulam Ahmed Mir and other senior leaders, Shri Pawan Khera said that as a consequence of the three laws passed by the BJP Government by passing the parliamentary traditions and the genuine objections of the Congress and other opposition would have disastrous consequences as a result of which the 86% of the small and marginal farmers having less than 5 acres of land would be relegated from the possession of owner to a contract labour under the new regime. He said that BJP ruled Bihar State is the class example of this system wherein 2006, the APMC Act was abolished resulting into worst situation of the farmers, whose produce are purchased on cheaper rates by the middlemen and soled in other states at MSP rates after earning profits.
He said that the BJP Government under the garb of new legislation wants to implement the Shanta Kumar Committee Report, as opinioned by most of the Agriculture experts, thus bringing an end to the procurement system on MSP through FCI, as a result of this the farmers shall be solely dependent upon contract farming where the big company would determine the rates of the produce at their own discretion.
Khera said that the new system by abolishing the stock limit of the agriculture products would neither benefit the farmers not the consumers but would benefit only the hoarders and black marketers who would purchase the items on cheaper rates and hoard it under legal cover and sell at higher rates. He quoted the report of 2020-21 wherein is stated that the Government stocks the pulses after purchasing from the farmers and sells it in the open market when the next pulses crop comes in, as a result of which the farmer wound not get the market rate of their crop. He alleged that 2.5 crore pulses scam is the living example whereby the pulses imported at the rate of 45 per Kg. were sold at Rs. 200 per Kg.
Reacting to the claim of the Modi Government that the farmers would now be free to sell their agriculture produce anywhere in the country, as a blatant lie , Shri Khera said that even today under the existing system, the farmers are at liberty to sell their produce anywhere in the country, as there are no restrictions in the APMC Act. However with average land holding at two acre or less , it is not expected that a small farmer would take his produce from one state to an other for better price but he has to sell it in the nearby Mandi at Minimum Support Price, which if abolished would be detrimental to the farmers and these black laws would do that.
He further said that with the abolish of these grains and fruit/vegetable markets , the crores of people dependent in the shape of labours and others allied jobs, transporters would loose their livelihood besides the states would loose the revenue which will use to earn by way of market fee and rural developmental funds. He quoted example of Punjab which earned 736 crores as market fee and almost equal amount as rural developmental funds during the procurement of wheat, while 613 crores commission was earned by whole sale dealers. But this amount is not paid by the farmers but by the Food Corporation of India or other private companies procuring at MSP.
He also countered the arguments being advanced by the Modi Govt. that APMC is not being closed down, nor MSP abolished but questioned when any transaction in the APMC would be taxed with fee but outside the same there would be no fee, how would the Mandi system survive. Neither there shall be any records or data of the private business outside Mandi nor any Govt. control, as a result the Govt. would not be able to analyze the procurement or price of the same.
Shri Khera questioned that why the Modi Govt. is not ready to incorporate such guarantees of continuation of APMC and no purchase below MSP in the laws as demanded by the Congress and other opposition as well as the organizations representing 62 crores farmers and farm labours and instead giving verbal assurances and terming them as misguided and resorting to lathi charge on protesting farmers.
The national spokesperson said that Congress party has always fought the battle for the rights of famers and farm labours both within parliament and on the streets and would stand shoulder to shoulder in their struggle under the leadership of Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Shri Rahul Gandhi and would oppose the black laws against the rights of the farmers.
Others present in the press conference include Shri Raman Bhalla, Shri Ravinder Sharma, Th. Manmohan Singh, Shri Rajnish Sharma, Ch. Ghau Ram and Hari Singh Chib.
PCC President G.A. Mir said that Congress party would vigorously oppose such anti-farmers moves of the BJP Government at every level and stand shoulder to shoulder with the farmers of the Country. He described it as the worst assault of the Modi Govt. on the farmers who would loose their earnings to the benefit of big capatilists and big companies while the MOdi Govt. gives false and fake slogans of doubling the farmers income by 2022.
Expressing grave concern over the series of killings of PRIs representatives and political workers in the Valley, the PCC Chief strongly condemned the brutal killing of BDC Chairman in Badgam, Kashmir Shri Bupinder Singh, yesterday and termed it as failure of the Centre and UT administration to check such killing s of public representatives and unable to provide proper security to them. He said that the Govt. has utterly failed to create conducive security and political environment for any political activity and people especially the political workers are insecure in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Mir also expressed great concern over the rising number of Covid cases and the casualties because of inadequate facilities in the hospitals which is great failure of the government. He expressed sympathies with those who are affected due to covid situation and demanded that the Govt. should create adequate and proper facilities to save the precious lives and provide the necessary health and medicare facilities to the people .