Rajasthan Assembly passes bills to counter Centre's farm laws

A special session of the 15th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly passed bills to counter the three farm laws enacted by the Centre recently. BJP MLAs staged a walkout and opposed the amendment bills passed in the Assembly.

Jaipur: The Rajasthan Assembly on Monday passed Amendment bills against all three agricultural laws of the Center.

After a long discussion in the Legislative Assembly, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Agricultural Services (Rajasthan Amendment) 2020, Agricultural Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Simplification) Rajasthan Amendment Bill 2020 and Essential Commodities (Special Provisions and Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2020, were passed in Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. However, the bills become law only after the Governor's assent.

Before the passage of these Bills, BJP opposed the movement and staged a walkout.

Responding to the discussion in the Assembly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal said that the entire country is agitated against the Centre's laws.

Dhariwal further said that the government will have to withdraw these laws. "There is a need to understand that the farmer of the country loves the soil and his land more than his children. All this Bill can do is to bring the farmers to their graves faster," he said.

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Agricultural Services (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill 2020

Under this amendment Bill, the Agricultural Produce Market Act will continue in the state and the situation will remain as before 5 June 2020. If a person, company, corporate house, or any other body of individuals, whether incorporated or not, forcibly pressurizes the farmers, they can be punished and imprisoned from 3 years to 7 years.

Also, the provision of fine or both up to 5 lakhs will be applicable.

In such a case, a person, firm or company, arranges or pressurizes a farmer to sell the agricultural produce in his possession at a price below the minimum support price subject to the contract will be punished.

Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Simplification) (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill 2020

Under this provision, if a person harasses the farmer, or a merchant does not accept the garment of the contracted agricultural product or after accepting the produce, does not pay within 3 days, will be subjected to 3 years in prison. Also, a provision of at least five lakh fine has been kept along with the jail sentence.

The Essential Commodities (Special Provisions and Rajasthan Amendment) Bill 2020

Through this bill, the state government has made it clear that in special circumstances, it can set the stock limit. There was no provision of stock limit in the central law.