Farmers welcome PM Modi’s decision to roll back three farm laws

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The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to repeal the three contentious farm laws on Friday.</p>
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The organisation, which has been spearheading the year-long protest against the laws said it will wait for the announcement to take effect through due Parliamentary procedures. “SKM reminds the Prime Minister that the agitation of farmers is not just against the repeal of the three black laws, but also for a statutory guarantee to remunerative prices for all agricultural produce and for all farmers. This important demand of farmers is still pending,” it said in a statement.</p>
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The SKM said it will take note of all developments, hold its meeting soon and announce further decisions if any.</p>
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Farmers at the protest sites on the highways were seen distributing sweets (jalebis and ladoos) to celebrate the decision that was announced on the auspicious occasion of Gurupurab.  </p>
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Addressing the nation on Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary, the Prime Minister said that the three farm laws would be repealed in the forthcoming session of Parliament which begins this month.</p>
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PM Modi apologised and said that the government "failed to convince a section of farmers" over the farm laws. He said the three contentious laws will be repealed during this month's Parliament session.</p>
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The farmers were apprehensive that the three farm laws would do away with the existing purchase system under which they sell their wheat and rice at an assured minimum support price to the government.  Although the government had assured them that this system would remain in place and the new laws would only provide for additional purchase by private companies, they had refused to come on board.</p>
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The Prime Minister said that his government had taken several steps to benefit farmers and would continue to do so. He pointed out that as much as Rs 1. 62 lakh crore had been deposited directly into the accounts of farmers.</p>
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The government had also increased the minimum support price of various crops and increased the number of government purchase centres in the country over the last year. In fact, a record amount of foodgrains had been procured by the government, he added.</p>
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This was a clear message that the doubts of the farmers had turned out to be unfounded.</p>