Passage of farm bills a watershed moment: PM
Says farming sector in India is in need of technological and structural upgrades, bills will boost yield
NEW DELHI:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed the passage of the farm bills in the Rajya Sabha, saying these bills will revolutionise the agriculture sector.
With this, the government’s proposed reforms for the agriculture sector have cleared the legislative hurdle. These bills will now go to President Ram Nath Kovind for his assent after which they will become law.
The prime minister pointed out that the farming sector in India is in need of technological and structural upgrades citing that the bills will pave a path for farmers to increase their yields by using better tools.
In a series of tweets, PM Modi assured India’s farmers that the Centre aims to serve the farmers and build a stronger agricultural industry for future generations.
PM Modi wrote on Twitter, “Our agriculture sector is in desperate need of the latest technology that assists the industrious farmers. Now, with the passage of the bills, our farmers will have easier access to futuristic technology that will boost production and yield better results. This is a welcome step.”
“A watershed moment in the history of Indian agriculture! Congratulations to our hardworking farmers on the passage of key bills in Parliament, which will ensure a complete transformation of the agriculture sector as well as empower crores of farmers,” he said in another tweet. He also highlighted the need of removal of middlemen in the farming industry.
Modi said, “For decades, the Indian farmer was bound by various constraints and bullied by middlemen. The bills passed by Parliament liberate the farmers from such adversities. These bills will add impetus to the efforts to double income of farmers and ensure greater prosperity for them.”
The opposition has targeted the government over the minimum selling price (MSP) and government procurement systems saying that the passage of the bills will affect these processes. Members of Parliament (MPs) from several opposition parties feared that these bills will benefit private players and give rise to contract farming.
Several farmer leaders and farmer unions have begun staging protests across Punjab and Haryana.