After over one year of agitation against the farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday that the Centre will repeal the three controversial laws which were passed in Parliament in September.

The PM apologised and said that the government “failed to convince a section of farmers” over the farm laws. He said the three contentious laws will be repealed during this month’s Parliament session.
“I apologise to India and with true and pure heart that may be… we were not able to convince farmers. I’m here to declare that we have decided to repeal the three farm laws…We will complete all the formalities during Parliament session that begins this month,” PM Modi said in his address to the nation on Friday.

The PM also appealed the agitating farmers “to go back home to their families and let’s start afresh”.

These laws are —

1. The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act.

2. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act. And

3. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.

Protests over these farm laws have been raging on for over one year now. Thousands of farmers have been camping near Delhi border areas, demanding the repeal of these laws. The Centre has now decided to withdraw the laws that have been a bone of contention between farmers and the government.

THE FARM LAWS ABOUT?

The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act provides for setting up a mechanism allowing the farmers to sell their farm produces outside the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs).

Any licence-holder trader can buy the produce from the farmers at mutually agreed prices. This trade of farm produces will be free of mandi tax imposed by the state governments.

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act allows farmers to do contract farming and market their produces freely.

The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act is an amendment to the existing Essential Commodities Act. This law now frees items such as foodgrains, pulses, edible oils and onion for trade except in extraordinary (read crisis) situations.
Meanwhile, the MSP assurance had emerged as the main sticking point in the farmers’ protest. There was an apprehension among v