Farm laws not passed hurriedly, Centre tells SC

The Union government on Monday told the Supreme Court that the three farm legislations were "not hurriedly made, but is a result of two decades of deliberations" and it has done its best to engage with the protesting farmers "to remove any misapprehensions or misgivings".

Maintaining that it had made all efforts to resolve the matter, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare said that the farmers of the nation are happy as they are given an additional option over and above the existing ones, to sell their produce without taking away their vested right.

In an affidavit, the central government tried to dispel an "impression created during the course of hearing on Monday that the Acts in question were passed hurriedly without undergoing any process".

Detailing the steps, it said that the Union government has actively and intensively engaged with the states for about two decades to achieve the objectives of reforms "to provide accessible and barrier free market system for better price realisation, but states either showed reluctance to adopt the reforms in true spirit or made partial or cosmetic reforms."

It said that "there has been long felt need to provide barrier free trade to facilitate farmers in providing liberalised eco-system in selling their produce at better price anytime anywhere,"

The Covid-19 situation of demand suppression and logistics and supply chain breakdown only accentuated the need to liberalise the ecosystem by reducing licensing barrier through a legal facilitative eco-system to improve intra-state and inter-state trade of agriculture produce, which will enable farmers to sell his produce at a better price by increasing number of prospective buyers, it added.

The government also pointed out that it had held talks with farmer unions for several rounds but they never agreed to discuss the farm Acts, excepting for demanding their repeal. "They did not agree to discuss on the merits of the enactments in the interest of the farmers at large. However, with mutual consent, the talks were now slated for January 15," the Centre said.

During the hearing on batch of petitions against the farm laws and to remove protesting farmers at Delhi borders, the top court asked the Centre to stay the implementation of farm laws or it would do it and form a committee to resolve the matter.

The SC put the matter for passing orders on Tuesday.