Jaipur (Rajasthan): On Day Four of the Jaipur Literature Festival, the discussion was focused on repealing three black farm laws and problems associated with farmers. Besides, the dissemination of wrong information during the Covid pandemic also came up for discussion.
Writer Mukulika Banerjee, journalist Namita Waikar and author Badri Narayan in the live session of the JLF discussed the neglect of rural India and changes taking place in the democracy.
Talking about farmers, Mukulika said, the way a farmer toils hard on his farmland, in the same manner, the work is required in a democracy. Moderating the talks, Badri Narayan said, rapid urbanization has pushed the farmers' movement on the edge, to which Namita said, "The repealing of three farm laws is the ample proof that politicians and big corporate houses are the policymakers. But, these laws directly affect those who work hard on their agricultural field."
The farm laws that were passed in the Parliament in an hour is an indicator that how much attention farmers are getting while making laws that will affect them directly. Whereas, a law banning cow slaughter has increased the population of stray animals, which has become another cause of worry for farmers, said Namita.
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In another session, author Sandeep Jauhar, Chandrakant Lahariya, journalist Barkha Dutt and Ambarish Satwik discussed tackling the wrong dissemination of information. "The best way to put a check on wrong information is to publish right information."
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sharing his love for reading books talked about a plurality of the country. Talking about State Surveillance, he said, "It's a Fascist vigilance".