Behind India’s farming protests
Shweta Varandani
Recent legislation passed by the Indian government has rattled New Delhi and other states all across India. Such bills were passed that turned millions of people’s lives around and have caused immense heartache across the nation.
The problem with these bills is that farmers lose their guaranteed minimum support price for produce and the government isn’t accountable for regulating those prices anymore. India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and his party have also made the closely-knit agriculture sector that protected farmers’ rights, openly available to free-market sources.
The government working directly with private market setups to set prices on food will leave the farmers in India at an unfair disadvantage. Once private markets are established, the traditional market will disappear. Not only will this erase the culture and tradition of many Punjabi farmers, but generations of land and hard work will be thrown away.
Farmers in India are losing their land for commercial use, they’re losing their minimum wage income, and they’re being disregarded as being the backbone for feeding the nation. Tens of thousands of farmers and allies are peacefully protesting, and the law is not on their side. Beaten with batons and sprayed with tear gas is what they get in return for advocating for their basic human rights.
As farming is the only means of income for many familes, thousands have committed suicide. On average, there are five people in one household, and with 145 million farmers in India, that means approximately 725 million people are being affected by these laws. That means that half of India’s population depends on agriculture-based activities as the main source of income and way of living.
This has affected farmers starting in October 2020, but only now has there been some media coverage about the issue. It is important to give voices to the people who don’t have the platform to do so. These farmers’ blood, sweat, and tears have gone into feeding India, and it’s now the same country that turned its back on them.
So what can we do about this? Spreading awareness is the first step. Post about it, educate your friends and family, become an ally for the farmers of India by donating at saveindianfarmers.org. This is currently the largest protest happening in the world, yet it isn’t being advertised. It isn’t a matter of a farmer’s protest or even an Indian protest. If you ate today, it’s your protest too.
Shweta Varandani is a writer for VAYCC’s Press Team.
