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The farm laws will move India way from 20th century socialism and into 21st century free market commerce. We must support it. Sorry, but I #DoNotStandWithFarmers.
Subsidies then, are not just to ease the strain in production costs but also help the products remain globally competitive, which is very important if its key to your export profile - especially at a time when Europe and US give agricultural subsidies far greater than India or any other developing countries. (READ: https://thewire.in/agriculture/the-pandoras-box-of-agri-reform-subsidies-and-tariffs)
Thankfully, government systems are aware of this so nobody plays politics over subsidies - its only for mindless TV and LegallyIndia debates, far away from actual realities of farms and international negotiations on agriculture.
I don't know what you mean by saying India had socialism in the 20th century. It certainly wasn't that (read Kaushik Basu's review of Virmani's book), its called protectionism and that benefits the big corporations who need to protect their market share from competition. As for 'free market commerce', as Arun Kumar writes here (https://thewire.in/agriculture/turning-the-fantasy-of-free-markets-and-choice-in-indian-agriculture-into-reality), agricultural products are not comparable with non-agricultural ones because of their inherent nature so its best to shed the fantasy that agricultural reforms which supposedly bring in free market in agriculture (these have always been there) are doing something similar to say...cement or plastics.
2. Subsides are not meant for global competitiveness (that's the why wto dhoa negotiation on agri subsidies failed) they are given to ease the burden on farmer, mange inflation and ensure food security.
3. Kaushik bashu should have read constitution which mentiones socialism (too appease soviets + indira tilt towards left) and India suffered till 1991 under grab of license raj.
Further, why can't agri products can be competitive? Do you want farmers to stay poor and not make profit? Imagine restricting lawyers to practise in a particular court that's what being done by current apmc act. Further, if that model is so successful by govt opened up milk, horticulture and various allied sectors?
On a serious note- Every nation in the world subsidises their farmers (the blue, green and amber boxes of the WTO ring a bell?). Besides the virtues of the free market are overrated. Read a little Adam Smith and stop equating "worth" with "value", oh exalted trollish one!
Farmers dont pay tax even in capitalist USA. Farming is a risky business in India and dependent on rainfall. With more and more people getting educated no one would be ineterested in farming. A country with 1.3 billion people to feed should not be dependent on outher countries for food.
You don't seem to have much of a spine anyway, to be able to stand.
R - if you could, please delete Keepinitreal‘s post. I am a left-liberal that also worships the cow, and I find his suggestion (of milking the mother cow for her semen) to be deeply offensive.
- R
Those who face problems know what the problem is. Farmers would know what their problem is, arthiyas know what their problem is and commuters crossing borders know what their problem.
So shut up, and bend over.