The Indian government introduced new laws, which it says will modernize the farm sector. But it could also mean the end of guaranteed prices for commodities like rice and wheat.
Economists agree that India’s agricultural industry needs reform to improve efficiency, but farmers say they weren’t consulted on the changes that will make it harder to stay in business. They want to repeal the new law, and they’ve organized a massive protest.
CGTN’s Ravinder Bawa has this report from Goa.
Subramanian Swamy, a member of the Indian parliament, sat down for an interview on the crisis hitting the country.
To discuss:
- Dipa Sinha is an economist and assistant professor at Ambedkar University Delhi.
- Surinder Singh Jodhka is a professor of sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
- Tushar Gupta is senior editor at Swarajya, a monthly magazine and digital news outlet.
For more:
Student groups protested in India over the arrest of environmental activist Disha Ravi, who police say created and shared a ‘toolkit’ or an action plan, used to stir violence in Delhi last month during the ongoing farmers' protests https://t.co/UPggSm45J9 pic.twitter.com/n7VGKSltlT
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 16, 2021
Twitter held firm when the Indian government demanded last week that it take down hundreds of accounts that criticized the government over protests by angry farmers. On Wednesday, under threat of prison for its local employees, Twitter relented. https://t.co/0FpZosEcae
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 10, 2021