Passage of agri bills to empower farmers: Niti VC
Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said the bills passed will have a colossal impact on the future of agriculture in India.
Welcoming the passage of two bills related to the farm sector in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said the legislation will empower farmers and have a "colossal impact" on the future of agriculture in the country.
The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill were passed by voice vote, even as the Congress, DMK and Revolutionary Socialist Party members staged a walkout.
"The Lok Sabha passes Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 & The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 - historic day!," Kumar said in a series of tweets.
He further said the legislation will not only empower but also create a fair and free ecosystem for farmers and traders alike, thereby fostering a spirit of friendly competition and improving trader transparency.
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For the first time, he said, farmers can proudly sell directly from their farms, igniting in them a sense of entrepreneurial freedom without the risk of trader exploitation.
"The Bills passed today will have a colossal impact on future of agriculture in our country," Kumar noted.
Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand said the legislations will transform the destiny of farmers.
"A historical day for Indian agriculture as the Lok Sabha passed two farming bills. This will lay foundation for changing destiny of farmers towards prosperity and take India on path to become global power in agriculture," Chand tweeted.
Another bill related to the farm sector, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, was passed on Tuesday. The bill aims to deregulate the storage, movement and sales of food items like cereals, pulses and onions to transform the farming sector and increase farmers' income.
These three bills will replace ordinances promulgated by the government earlier.
(with additional inputs for context)
