INDIA NEEDS A COMPREHENSIVE AGRI POLICY

For almost every sector of the economy, governments have laid down clear policies. But for farming, they never went beyond a draft prepared by the NDA at the turn of the millennium

- BISWAJIT DHAR

THE repealing of the three controversial legislations by the Government of India must be seen as a victory for the Indian farmers, especially because policymakers were not able to convince the cultivators that the legislations were enacted to serve their interests. At the same time, this episode also serves as a reminder to the policymakers that laws and policies must be enacted after detailed consultations with all stakeholders and after giving due consideration to the interests of all concerned. In a country that has seen decades of discussions on the importance of people-centred development, it is time that policymakers adopt this framework for betterment of citizens.