Let Both Sides Show Their Sagacity

The massive protest movement by farmers against  the new farm laws of the Central Government is happening at a time when they are supposed to be in the fields for post harvesting works. The Government which initially appeared too adamant had displayed flexibility and agreed to amend the laws to safeguard MSP and APMC and Mandi system. But the farmers apprehend that the new farm laws will weaken the MSP and the APMC structures and throw them at the mercy of private players. The adamant stance of both sides has vitiated the agro-atmosphere of the country.

Though agriculture is a State subject, the States were not consulted in formulating the law. Agro scientists available in 70 agro universities spread over the country could have been associated in framing the farm laws that concern 70 per cent of India’s population. So also, before enacting the laws the Centre could have consulted the farmer bodies.

There is apprehension among the farmers, particularly among those with small holdings about their easily becoming vulnerable to various market pressures and about the possibility of the corporate houses exploiting them under pre fixed pricing term in contract farming, depriving them of higher price in post harvest situations under the present criteria of contract farming. 

The private players in mining and coal sectors are regulated. Then why not in agri-sector touching 70 per cent of population? The new farm laws facilitate marketing without any licence and anyone with a PAN card can act as a trader to purchase agro produces directly from the farmers which in reality may give rise to multiplication of middlemen between the corporate sector and the farm gate. If there are middlemen in APMC structure there would be more middlemen of invisible nature under corporatization and  it would be difficult to rein in them.

There is also the possibility of APMCs becoming virtually irrelevant and losing their existence when corporates dominate the scene.  

The Centre would have done well by strengthening available infrastructure by bringing further improvements like transportation and cold chain for safe preservation of such agro produce and corporate houses, private investors and private players could be engaged to build such cold chains and food value chains in suitable areas, since farmers cannot create such provisions due to lack of technical expertise, fear of maintenance cost and poor return.

The movement of the farmers has given another opportunity to review the need of making a comprehensive agro policy to bring more area under cultivation, by making easy availability of modern equipment, water, power, banking finance, fertilizer, seed, fuel etc as 50 per cent of land in India is still dependable on monsoon and the cost of inputs is beyond the reach of small farmers.

Agriculture has every potential to increase country’s GDP and generate employment. Hope both the government and the striking farmers will show their sagacity to resolve the ongoing problem in the greater interest of public.       

It Is Getting Late

Irrespective of any justification to the contrary from any quarters, the fact remains that the uncontrolled and too frequent price hikes of fuel and cooking gas happening in quick succession have become a matter of concern for the common man. The price of fuel has a direct and indirect impact on the price of every other commodity. As far as the central and the state governments are concerned, as the fuel prices go up, their revenue also goes up correspondingly. About 62% of petrol price and 59% of diesel price goes to the central and State governments as various taxes. Central government gets about 62% and 67% of the total taxes levied on petrol and diesel respectively. The prices of petrol and diesel are going up almost daily, yet there are no moves either from the central government which gets the lion’s  share of the taxes on fuel or from the State government to bring down at least the tax component. In no other country, the tax component of fuel prices is so high as in India. The central government is also yet to consider the industry’s long pending demand to bring petrol and diesel within the ambit of GST, presumably because the revenue from fuel will be hit significantly.

Irrespective of the inflation figures being periodically released by the Central Statistical Organisation under the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, which are yet to be found as something which reflect reality, the price of every single commodity and every single service is going up, partly due to fuel price hike and partly due to some other factors. It is high time the central government intervened in the matter to regulate the fuel prices without testing the patience of the common man.

 

നിയമവും നിയമലംഘനവും

കേന്ദ്രസർക്കാരിന്റെ സാമ്പത്തിക നയങ്ങൾക്കെതിരെ 2019  ജനുവരി 8, 9 തീയതികളിൽ  രാജ്യവ്യാപകമായി നടന്ന പൊതു പണിമുടക്കിനോടനുബന്ധിച്ച്  ജോലിയ്ക്ക് ഹാജരാകാതിരുന്ന കേരളത്തിലെ സർക്കാർ ജീവനക്കാർക്കും അധ്യാപകർക്കും ശമ്പളത്തോടുകൂടിയ അവധി അനുവദിച്ചുകൊണ്ട്  2019 ജനുവരി 31 ന് കേരള സർക്കാർ പുറപ്പെടുവിച്ച ഉത്തരവ് റദ്ദാക്കിയ കേരള ഹൈക്കോടതി ഡിവിഷൻ ബഞ്ചിന്റെ വിധി അത്യന്തം ശ്ലാഘനീയമാണ്.

സമരത്തിൽ പങ്കെടുത്ത ജീവനക്കാരെ അവധി എടുക്കാൻ അനുവദിക്കുന്നത് നിയമവിരുദ്ധമാണെന്നും അധികാര ദുർവിനിയോഗമാണെന്നും ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടി നൽകിയ ഒരു  പൊതുതാൽപര്യ ഹർജി അനുവദിച്ചുകൊണ്ടാണ് ഈ സുപ്രധാന വിധി. നിയമവിരുദ്ധമായ ഒരു പ്രവൃത്തി ക്രമീകരിക്കുന്ന ഉത്തരവ് പുറപ്പെടുവിക്കാൻ സർക്കാരിന് അധികാരമില്ലെന്നും സർക്കാരിന്റെ ഈ നടപടി നിയമത്തിൽ നിലനിൽക്കുകയില്ല എന്നും കോടതി ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടി.

ഇന്നത്തെ ചുറ്റുപാടിൽ ഇതുപോലെയുള്ള പൊതുതാൽപര്യ ഹർജികൾ നിയമത്തിൻെറ പരിരക്ഷയ്ക്ക് നൽകുന്ന സംഭാവന വളരെ വലുതാണ്. സ്വാഭാവിക നീതി നിഷേധിക്കപ്പെടുമ്പോഴും നിയമലംഘനം നിയമവിധേയമാക്കാൻ   നിയമം പരിരക്ഷിക്കേണ്ടവർ ശ്രമിയ്ക്കുമ്പോഴും ചൂഷണവും മുതലെടുപ്പും ഒക്കെ നടക്കുമ്പോഴും മൂല്യങ്ങളിലൂന്നിയുള്ള ഇത്തരം പൊതുതാത്പര്യ ഹർജികൾ ഉണ്ടാകട്ടെ.