Farmers Protest 2.0: Why Are The 'Annadatas' Back On Streets? - In 10 Points

The farmers protest is again in motion with the protestors on their way to the national capital to keep their demands in front of the Centre. As the 'Delhi Chalo' march gains momentum, here are the major demands put forth by the farmer unions.

New Delhi:Nearly two years after the farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, surrounded the national capital to protest against the three farm laws, the farmers protest 2.0 is again in motion with the farmers embarking on their 'Delhi Chalo' march Tuesday morning, after five-hour-long meeting with two Union ministers over their demands remained inconclusive, a farmer leader said.

Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, who along with Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal attended the second round of talks with the farmer leaders, said a consensus was reached on most issues and a formula was proposed for resolving some others through the formation of a committee. "We are still hopeful that farmer bodies will hold talks.... We will try to resolve issues in the coming days," he said.

1. The primary demand from the farmers is legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for all the crops. The government, in its written reply to the Parliament, said it has been fixing the MSPs of various agricultural crops on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), after considering the views of state governments, central ministries, departments concerned. The Commission will also factor the cost of production and host of factors such as demand-supply situation, trends in domestic and international prices, inter-crop price parity, terms of trade between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors and the likely impact of MSP on consumers and overall economy along with rational utilisation of scarce natural resources like land and water.
2. The farmers want the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission implemented. National Commission on Farmers led by late M S Swaminathan submitted its report in 2006. The major recommendations of the Commission was that MSP should be at least 50 percent more than the weighted average cost of production. This recommendation was not incorporated in the National policy for Farmers 2007.
3. Pensions for farmers and farm labourers. The farmers collective is insisting on a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 a month for every farmer and farm worker who are above 60 years of age.
4. Farm debt waiver has been another major demand put forward by the protesting farmers. According to the farmers, farm loans are the primary reason for dwindling lives of farmers. As it chokes the agrarian community on the whole, the farmers have sought the government for a complete waiver of all the farm loans it has lent to the farmers through various financial institutions.
5. The farmers have demanded that the government withdraw all the cases against the farmers who protested earlier against the government in 2020-21 agitation. The government sources said it has in principle agreed to this demand.
6. Another demand connected to the 2020-21 farmers protest is the disbursal of compensation for families of several farmers who have lost their lives during the agitation.
7. The farmers want the central government to reinstate the Land Acquisition Act 2013. They want the reinstatement, citing that they have been left landless after the land acquisition in most cases. They seek fair compensation for land acquired by various authorities for developmental projects, while earmarking 10 percent of residential/commercial plots developed on their lands for their families. Their argument is that the compensation they have been receiving from authorities range from 5 to 7 percent of the total acquired land. This is the case with most of the authorities such as the Noida Authority, the Greater Noida Authority, and the Yamuna Authority. Farmers say that they have been suffering financial losses due to the previous instances of land acquisition at lower rates.
8. Compensation for farmers killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident is among the key demands put forward by the protesting farmers. The farmers have been demanding strict punishment for those responsible for the Lakhimpur Kheri violence that unfolded on October 3, 2021. Four protesting farmers who were on a rally were run over by a vehicle. Union minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra has been identified as the prime accused in the killing of farmers.
9. The protestors have urged the government to enhance the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to offer 200 days of employment annually with a daily wage of Rs 700, integrating it with agricultural activities, among others.
10. The farmers want the government to withdraw from the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The farmers have been pressing this demand for long on the central government to exit from the WTO and to freeze all trade agreements it has executed with the global organisation. According to the farmers, the WTO regime favours commercial and industrial scale farming while ignoring farmers with small land holding.

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