Opposition parties spreading false propaganda on farm laws: Union Minister Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday accused the Congress and other opposition parties of spreading "false propaganda" about the new farm laws and highlighted various safeguards for the farmers in the legislations.

During an interaction with farmers and village representatives of Majalta area in district Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir, he said a contract agreement under the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, will guarantee a fixed price for farmers.

"Moreover, the new legislation prohibits the sale, lease or mortgage of farmland," said Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel.

Therefore, there is no substance in the allegation by Congress leaders that big companies will exploit farmers in the name of the contract, he added.

According to a Personnel Ministry statement, Singh hit back at the opposition parties accusing them of misleading the farmers and said contrary to the propaganda being spread, under the new laws a farmer can terminate the contract at any time and can withdraw from the agreement at any point without any penalty.

The arrangements under the new legislation will prove to be a boon for the farmers, particularly those living in far-flung and hilly areas, he said.

Elaborating further, Singh said, "Earlier many farmers harvested their crops and then reconciled to their fate of a middleman coming and picking up the entire produce and giving them a petty price depending on his will and choice." If there is any government which has done the maximum for the farmers in the minimum time of six years, it is the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.

Those who participated in the interaction included farmers from Thelora and surrounding panchayats, representatives from Kaley village and surrounding areas. While advocate Amit Sharma conducted the interaction, others who spoke included Cap (Retd) Gopal Singh, Bishan Das and Suresh Kumar. 

Image Credits: PTI

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