In the ongoing protest in North India, farmers have called for a Bharat Bandh on Friday, urging the people of this region to go on an industrial strike and shut down rural India. Two consecutive meetings between the Union Cabinet and farmer leaders have not been conclusive about why they have taken this step.

Holding the Indian government responsible for the start of Farmers Movement 2.0, the farmers said that the Modi government has not fulfilled their demands. In fact, in 2020, the government passed three new laws related to agriculture, which they demanded to withdraw, calling them black laws. However, when the government did not do this, the farmers surrounded Delhi from all sides in September 2020; this protest ended in November 2021, when the Prime Minister withdrew these laws and requested the farmers to end the protest. While completing the protest, the farmer leaders had made some demands from the government, among which the law on MSP was the most important.

Farmers started protests demanding MSP from the Union government in Delhi

What is the demand of farmers?

• According to the Swaminathan report, the government should make a permanent law on MSP for all crops according to the A2+FL+C2 formula.

• The government should forgive all the farmers in the country and all their debts.

• Farmers above 60 years of age should be given a pension of Rs 10,000 per month so that they can secure their future.

• Restore the Land Acquisition Act 2013 at the national level, require written consent from farmers and provide compensation four times the collector rate.

• The government of India must ensure a legal punishment for the culprits who were responsible for the farmer’s death in Lakhimpur Kheri, and the families of the farmers should get justice.

• India should exit the World Trade Organization and stop all free trade agreements to protect domestic agriculture.

• The government should compensate the families of the farmers who lost their lives during the Delhi agitation and also provide employment opportunities to one member of their family.

• To protect their interest and ensure equal access to electricity, the government should reject the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020.

• Extend the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to provide 200 days of employment annually with a daily wage of Rs 700 and integrate it with agricultural activities.

• Enforce stringent penalties on companies producing spurious seeds, pesticides and fertilisers while improving seed quality standards.

• Establish a national commission dedicated to supporting and promoting the cultivation of spices such as chilli, turmeric and other aromatic crops.