Farm Bills 2020: A Progressive Step

 The Farm Bills 2020: the farmer's pride and privileges

The commonalities between the transport systems in the 1970s, and 1995 onwards; and the Farm Bills 2020 and the farmer's pride and privileges

We got up at about 4 AM, had our morning routine completed, and then we hired an auto rickshaw and reached the bus stop at 5.10 AM. The scheduled time for the bus was 5.30 AM. We were waiting and the bus turned up at 7 AM. It reached its destination at 11 AM, after traveling just 90 km. This was in the year 1975, and the points of travel were the steel city of Rourkela to the district headquarters Sundergarh. It will not be an exaggeration to mention here that we were dehydrated to the last extent by the time we got down in Sundergarh after a journey of 4 hours, i.e. the bus traveled at the speed of 22 km/hr. Our children do not believe us when we narrate such harrowing bus journeys of our days. For them, and also for us, now the distance is traveled in 90 minutes. Apart from the privately-owned cars, there are also super deluxe climate-controlled buses that ply between these two towns somewhere between 80 to 90 minutes.

This improvement was possible because of many reforms like improvement of road conditions, widening of roads, and the introduction of private run buses along with the state-controlled buses. The improvements in road conditions were possible by acquiring lands and clearing of some trees here and there. At that time some of the self-styled environmentalists and NGOs made comments that it will damage the environment.

The daily plights of the commuters were not talked about by these same people. Now, when improvements have been made by the government and travel time and travel conveniences are improved it is the entire populace is reaping the benefits.   

Today, when the Government of India is trying to pass the Kissan Bill 2020, some of the leaders and their followers are trying to blame it, oppose it, and misguides people through their myopic views. The Government of India in the parliament has clearly mentioned that the bill has given additional provisions to the farmers to sell their products at the best possible rate; there should not be any opposition to this noble deed and the noble bill. The government has now given additional market places for farmers to sell their products.

Unless reforms like this are brought in, we still will be traveling 90 km of distance in 4 hours' time.

It is the citizenry responsibilities of all the citizens of India to explain the fact and convince the farmers that the Kissan Bill 2020 is for their benefit and advantages only.

PM Shri Narendra Modi wrote very correctly on Twitter, “Our agriculture sector is in desperate need of the latest technology that assists the industrious farmers. Now, with the passage of the bills, our farmers will have easier access to futuristic technology that will boost production and yield better results. This is a welcome step.”