Union Cabinet approves bill to repeal three farm laws

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Union Cabinet approves bill to repeal three farm laws (Image: Pixabay)
Union Cabinet approves bill to repeal three farm laws (Image: Pixabay)

New Delhi : Almost a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the three farm laws will be repealed in the upcoming winter session of Parliament, the Union Cabinet Wednesday cleared the bill that will cancel the farm laws.

The bill will now be introduced in the Parliament next week.

Making the announcement, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said that the “formalities” to repeal the three laws — Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 — has been completed in the first meeting of the Cabinet since Modi’s announcement last week.

“Today (Wednesday), when the Cabinet met under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we completed the formalities to repeal the laws,” Thakur said. “In the upcoming session, it will be our priority to repeal the three farm laws,” Thakur said.

Mr Thakur skipped the question on government bringing a bill for guaranteed MSP, another major demand by farmers.

The Cabinet Wednesday also approved an extension of the Prime Minister Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) scheme till March 2022.

Thakur said the cabinet has decided to extend the PMGKAY for a period of four months — December 2021 to March 2022 — under which over 80 crore people of the country are entitled to get food grains like wheat or rice free of cost every month.

“Since the beginning of the scheme in March 2020, crores of people have benefited from it,” Thakur said.

He added, “There will be an expenditure of Rs 53,344 crore for the scheme during the next four months.”

“The free food grains under the PMGKAY will be provided to beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act, 2013 and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) scheme over and above their entitlements,” Thakur said.