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2024 Indian farmers' protest

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2024 Indian farmers' protest
Date13 February 2024 – present[1]
Location
 India
Goals
  • Pension of 10,000 INR per month for every farmer above 60 years[2]
  • Fixed daily wages for farming to the farmers under MGNREGA, Rs 700 a day with 200 days of guaranteed employment a year.[3]
  • Government to ensure at least 50% profit over their overall cost of production.[4]
  • Legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for all the crops
  • Implement the recommendations of the MS Swaminathan committee on agriculture[5]
  • Justice for Lakhimpur Kheri violence[6]
  • Urge the government to fulfill its promise to double farmers' incomes, highlighting the surge in cultivation costs over recent years and the stagnation of incomes, which has rendered farming a loss-making enterprise.[4]
  • Call for the withdrawal of legal cases filed against protesters during the previous agitation in 2020-21.[4]
Methods
Resulted inProtests in parts of Punjab, Haryana and some parts of Uttar Pradesh
Parties
Casualties and losses

3 deaths[9]

Several security force personnel injured[10]
5 deaths[11]
160 protestors injured[12]

The 2024 Indian farmers' protest is the second round of continuous protests and road blockades initiated by farmers in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana on 13 February 2024, primarily located at Punjab's Shambhu border.[13] The main requests of the protests include securing legal assurance for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops and complete forgiveness of loans for all farmers.[14]

Background

[edit]
See also: 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest

In September 2020, the Parliament enacted three bills: the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020.[15] The administration claims that such laws would diminish the government's involvement in agriculture and create greater opportunities for the private sector. The farmers were concerned that eliminating government protections would make them vulnerable to businesses.[16]

In 2021, farmers protested against these laws. Over 200 farmers' organisations joined the protest. On November 19, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the centre had chosen to revoke the three agriculture laws passed by Parliament in the year 2020.[17]

The farmers are protesting once more, alleging that the government has failed to fulfil the promises made in 2020–2021. They also blame the government for not attempting to double their incomes. Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) organised a statewide rural and industrial strike to show displeasure with the government.[17]

Demands

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2024: Farmers protest demands:[18][19][20]

  1. Minimum Support Price (MSP) Guarantee:
    • The farmers are demanding the enactment of a law that ensures a guaranteed minimum price for all crops. This legal assurance would protect their income and provide stability in agricultural markets.
  2. Debt Waiver:
    • The implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations is sought to provide debt waivers to farmers. All debts of the farmers above Rs. 10,000 to be waived, worth ₹18.4 lakh crore.[21][22]
  3. Land Acquisition Compensation:
    • Farmers demand more compensation for land acquired by various authorities for developmental projects. They also seek the reservation of 10% of residential plots on developed lands for the families affected by land acquisition.[23]
  4. Withdrawal from World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreements:
    • Some farmers express concerns about the impact of international trade agreements on their livelihoods.
    • They call for India's withdrawal from the WTO and the imposition of a ban on all Free Trade Agreements (FTA).
  5. Justice for Lakhimpur Kheri violence:
    • The farmers demand punishment for the perpetrators of the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre, where several farmers lost their lives.
    • Ensuring justice for the victims and their families is a critical aspect of their protest.
  6. Pension for Farmers and Farm Labourers:
    • Allocation of pensions to farmers and farm labourers.
  7. Scrapping the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020:
    • Farmers fear the growing privatisation of electricity and lack trust in state governments to pay subsidies on time.
    • They call for the removal of the bill to safeguard their interests.
  8. Compensation for Lives Lost During the 2020–2021 Agitation:
    • Families of farmers who died during the 2020–2021 agitation seek monetary compensation.
    • The demand also includes providing employment opportunities for one family member.
  9. MGNREGA Employment:
  10. National Commission for Spices:
    • The formation of a commission specifically for different spices is requested to address the unique challenges faced by spice growers.
  11. Protection of Indigenous People's Rights:
    • The farmers seek protection for land, forests, and water sources belonging to tribal communities.
    • Ensuring the rights of indigenous people is a priority.
  12. Improving Seed Quality:
    • Farmers call for measures to enhance seed quality.
    • They propose penalising companies that produce fake seeds, pesticides, and fertilisers to safeguard agricultural productivity.

Financial Security:

  • Guaranteed Income: Farmers above 60 years of age, are demanding a monthly pension of ₹10,000.[24]
  • Minimum Wages under MGNREGA: Protesters are seeking fixed daily wages for agricultural work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The proposed wage is ₹700 per day with a guarantee of 200 days of work annually.[25]
  • Agro-Industry Integration Farmers seek better integration with the agro-industry to bypass intermediaries and secure direct market access. They aim to establish farmer-producer organisations, enabling collective bargaining power, fair pricing, and reduced dependency on middlemen.[26][better source needed]

Market Support:

  • Legal Guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for All Crops: The central demand of the protest is a legal framework guaranteeing MSP for all agricultural produce. Currently, the government announces MSP for only a select few crops, leaving others vulnerable to market fluctuations and potentially lower prices. A legal guarantee would provide farmers with a more stable and predictable income.[27]
  • Implementation of Swaminathan Committee Recommendations: The protestors seek the implementation of the recommendations made by the M.S. Swaminathan Committee, a high-level committee formed in 2006 to address agricultural issues in India. The committee's report proposes various measures to improve farmers' income and welfare, including improved infrastructure, investment in research and development, and market reforms.[citation needed]
  • Pensions for farmers, loan waivers, and withdrawal from the World Trade Organization.[citation needed]

Other Demands:

  • Along with this demand, farmers also ask for the withdrawal of cases registered during the last agitation in 2020–21.[citation needed]
  • The farmers also insist that the government ensure at least 50 percent profit over their overall cost of production.[28]
  • The farmers also want the government to honor a promise to double their incomes, complaining that costs of cultivation have jumped over the past few years while incomes have stagnated, making farming a loss-making enterprise.[citation needed]

Protests

[edit]

With tens of thousands of farmers marching towards Delhi with their thousands of tractors,[29] the police sealed the borders and placed barricades to prevent the farmers from entering Delhi.[30] Section 144 was imposed for a month, preventing the gathering of three or more people.[31] At the Shambu border between Haryana and Punjab, where thousands of farmers gathered, police used tear gas and rubber bullets, while drones flew overhead to drop tear gas on the protesting crowds.[32] Barricades were also placed at the Gazipur and Tikri borders.[31] Internet services were suspended in seven districts of Haryana.[30] The borders between Haryana and Delhi were also blocked. Not all the farmers that participated in the 2020 protests are part of this protest. A group of 250 farmers' unions, organized under the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (a non-political platform consisting of 150 unions) from Punjab, are leading the 2024 protest.[33][34]

The march was paused as discussions were ongoing between the farmer's unions and the government ministers.[35]

After again suspending their strike until the end of February after a young farmer died during the protests, the farmers resumed their march to the capital.[36] The protest leaders alleged that dozens of farmers were detained during the march, forcing them to call it off. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) said in a statement that farmers moving towards Delhi had been stopped by police in some states. Reportedly, fifty farmers were taken into custody in Rajasthan on March 5, while others travelling to Delhi by train were also detained. The Rajasthan police denied detaining any farmers.[37]

Government proposals

[edit]

Centre proposes 5-year plan to farmers to buy pulses, maize at MSP

[edit]

Following the fourth round of talks between a government panel and the farmers, the central government proposed a 5-year plan for the procurement of pulses and maize at Minimum Support Price (MSP). The MSP serves as a protective measure devised by the government to assure farmers of a guaranteed price for their harvest, shielding them from market uncertainties. Acknowledging the significance of pulses and maize in the agricultural landscape, the government's proposition seeks to extend enduring assistance by ensuring a steady income for farmers.

Under the proposal, a fixed quantity of pulses and maize will be procured at MSP over the next five years. This initiative holds paramount importance in fostering price stability, curbing the exploitation of farmers by intermediaries, and fostering agricultural sustainability. By establishing a dependable market and an equitable pricing system, the plan endeavours to motivate farmers to persist in cultivating these crops, thus bolstering the country's food security efforts.[38][better source needed][39]

Gathering of farmers' organisations

[edit]

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a non-political body of farmers that claims to be a platform of over 150 farmer organisations, and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, which is backed by another 100 farmers' unions, are leading the 'Delhi Chalo' march.[40][41] The protests are led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal of BKU (Dallewal) and Sarvan Singh Pandher of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.[42]

Death and injuries

[edit]

February 2024 clashes:

  • Five farmers died during the protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders between February 16 and 23, 2024.[11]
  • Three deaths were attributed to cardiac arrest, according to hospital records.[43][44]
  • The cause of death for Shubhkaran Singh, a 21-year-old protester, is undetermined. Farmers allege he died from police firing, while hospital records state he was "brought dead." No postmortem has been conducted yet.[44][45]
  • The other deceased include Gyan Singh (65), Manjeet Singh (72), Narendra Pal Singh (45) and Darshan Singh (62).[46][47][48]

Responses and reactions

[edit]

A video containing the comments of Jagjit Singh Dallewal of BKU (Dallewal), an important leader of the protest, has generated some amount of controversy. In this video, Dallewal is shown indicating that they want to bring down Narendra Modi's graph (his popularity) that soared due to the consecration of the Ram Mandir, and that these protests offer a window of opportunity to achieve that.[49] These remarks were criticized by Khattar, the Haryana Chief Minister.[50] However, Pawan Khera of the Indian National Congress supported Dallewal's remarks, responding that the farmers have every right to express their political views.[51]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Angry farmers once forced India's hardline leader into a rare retreat. As the election looms, they're back". CNN. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Farmers protest: Is legal guarantee for MSP the best solution?". The Economic Times. 15 February 2024. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Farmer protests: Serious demands to modernise Indian agriculture are woefully missing". The Economic Times. 15 February 2024. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Bharat bandh today: What protesting farmers want". 16 February 2024. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
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  8. ^ Sharma, Sheenu (14 February 2024). "Farmers protest: BKU-Ugrahan calls for 'Rail Roko' in Punjab today from 12 noon to 4 pm". India TV News. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
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  17. ^ a b Shamim, Sarah. "Why are Indian farmers marching on New Delhi?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
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  22. ^ "Farmers' protest: Loan waiver among demands, how Centre has allowed it only twice". The Indian Express. 22 February 2024. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
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  24. ^ "Won't settle on anything less than legal guarantee for MSP, says SKM". Hindustan Times. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  25. ^ PTI (26 March 2023). "MGNREGS wage rates revised by up to 10% for 2023-24 fiscal year". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
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  37. ^ "Indian farmers say detentions foil Delhi protest, police say no one held". Reuters. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
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  44. ^ a b "Who was Shubhkaran Singh? The young farmer who died during protests". Deccanherald. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
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  47. ^ "Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann announces Rs 1 crore ex-gratia for farmer who died during farmers protest". TIO. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  48. ^ "Delhi Chalo 2.0: Another farmer dies, 5th death during ongoing protest". The Times of India. 23 February 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  49. ^ Phadke, Ruddhi (15 February 2024). "'Need To Bring Modi's Graph Down...': Big 'Political' Comment By Farmer Leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal Triggers Row (VIDEO)". The Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  50. ^ "Farmers moving like army with tractors; making political comments: Haryana CM". Hindustan Times. 15 February 2024. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  51. ^ "'Modi graph' video: Cong says farmer has right to air political views, BJP points to PM's popularity". Hindustan Times. PTI. 15 February 2024. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
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