JAIPUR: Rajasthan was among the few states that introduced its own bills to counter the Centre’s three farm laws to protect farmers’ interests. The Essential Commodities bill 2020, the Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services bill 2020 and the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce bill 2020 — were passed by the Rajasthan assembly last October.
The bills were designed to either nullify or provide viable options to farmers against the provisions of the Centre’s farm laws. The state bills are, however, pending with governor Kalraj Mishra, before they would go to the President for his assent.
Sources said that the repeal of the three controversial farm laws would make many of the provisions in these bills irrelevant but still, the state would push them since they have certain provisions safeguarding the interests of the farmers. Following Congress’ Central leaders’ direction of exploring the legal routes to counter the farm bills, Punjab and Rajasthan moved three bills for the same.
“Gehlot has been pushing Mishra for the bills to be moved to the President in almost all of his visits to the governor house since last October,” said a source at the governor house. The main provision of the bill which was played by the Congress leaders is granting farmers a farming agreement that will be valid only if the price of the product is equal to or greater than the prevailing minimum support price.
“The provision of imprisonment of 3-7 years without penalty if any person or corporate harasses the farmers,” reads the bill. The bills invited sharp reactions from Central government which had accused Gehlot government of crossing the line of cooperative federalism.
