Anil Ghanwat, a member of the Supreme Court (SC) appointed committee on farm laws, told BusinessLine on Tuesday that though the government has repealed farm laws under pressure from a section of farmers, a number of other farmers will work to take forward the reforms.
“Farm laws have been repealed but problems faced by farmers remain the same. There is a need for an agriculture policy. We will prepare the draft of the policy and discuss it with other farmer organisations in India. On October 2, 2022, we will submit the draft to the Union government in the presence of farmers across India,” said Ghanwat. He added that over 1 lakh farmers will meet in New Delhi on October 2 in support of reforms.
“ We will even go to Punjab and Haryana to speak to the farmers who were misguided. The Union government has a full majority and must take the reforms forward. If not this time, reforms will never happen in Indian agriculture,” he said.
Garnering support
Seema Narode, leader of the Shetkari Sanghatana, said that farmer organisations supporting the reforms will join hands to form an apex body.
“We want to save taxpayers’ money and, at the same time, bring money in farmers’ pockets. This is possible only after reforms. If farmers have to compete in the world market, reforms and technology freedom are a must,” said Narode.
Shetkari Sanghatana and its political wing, Swatantra Bharat Party, established by the late Sharad Joshi, have been campaigning for farm reforms and had supported the farm laws introduced by the government.