Modi Backed Down on Farm Laws to Win an Election
This hurts India’s future and not just his strongman image
The battle lines we have drawn over the past decade mean that Prime Minister Narendra Modi backing down on ambitious farm reforms is painted as a victory for democracy and the Indian farmer. Nothing could be further from the truth. True, as with many other Modi government policies, the farm laws were haphazardly thought out and hurried through parliament via a dubious voice vote. However, they were a necessity in India, where more than 40% of her 1.3 billion citizens are stuck on unproductive farms.
Take in the cold numbers — 119 million cultivators and 144 million farmhands work on Indian farms aided by an annual $11 billion fertiliser subsidy, $9.5 billion in free electricity, $4 billion in annual farm loan waivers, a $80 annual income supplement (which adds up to $9 billion). Add on a rural employment guarantee scheme for farm workers who don’t own their land (which adds up to $15 billion).
