CHANDIGARH : While supporting the demands of farming community in India against the anti-farmer legislations, Global Sikh Council (GSC) condemned the laws passed by the Indian Parliament that will damage the financial standing of farmers, while providing leverage to larger conglomerates to rig the growers’ market to their advantage. Asking for linking the food grains prices with the national price index the GSC has lamented that Indian farmers even now were not getting a fair price for their farm produce.
In a press release Lady Singh, Dr Kanwaljit Kaur Chairman Global Sikh Council said that earlier the farmers could sell their produce at fixed MSP in the Mandis (markets) but with the new legislation such as The Farmer Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 would allow anyone to purchase any produce without any MSP as fixed by the government. “This will result in richer traders dictating the market price without any protection for small farmers”, she added.
The GSC has requested the Indian Government to repeal these ill-considered discriminatory legislations that seriously disadvantages to small producers at the expense of richer traders. In addition to this the Council has also requested to all major institutions and organisations, such as SGPC, Akali Dal, Akal Takhat Sahib, to protest against these discriminatory legislations which could result in smallholders being driven into destitution.