Union Cabinet okays farm laws repeal bill; set to be introduced in House

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on November 19 that the three farm laws will be rolled back, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposed legislation to repeal them. The Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021, is likely to be introduced on the first day of Parliament's winter session starting Monday.

Information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that the formalities for repealing the three laws were completed in the meeting.

"The prime minister had announced on Gurpurab that the three farm laws will be rolled back. Today in the Cabinet meeting, the formalities to withdraw the three laws were completed," Thakur said.


The three farm laws are: The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

"It will be our priority to take back these three laws in the upcoming Parliament session," Thakur said, adding that the process would be initiated as soon as the session starts.

Modi had announced on November 19 that though the three farm laws were beneficial to small and marginal farmers who constitute 80% of agriculturists, his government failed to convince a section of the community on the issue. He said while the benefits were clear as the "light of the lamp", there appeared some shortcomings in the "penance" of the government that a section of farmers was still opposed to the laws.

As per Article 245, the Parliament can repeal a law by passing a repeal and amendment bill on the legislation. The government is likely to present the repeal bill on Monday itself to prevent the opposition from raking up the issue further.

However, the opposition and the protesting farmers are demanding legal guarantee on minimum support price for certain crops. They are also seeking "sacking and arrest" of Union MoS for home Ajay Mishra Teni for the Lakhimpur incident, in which four farmers were allegedly mauled by an SUV belonging to his son.