Share:New Delhi - India will scrap agricultural reform laws that sparked a year of huge protests by farmers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday in a stunning U-turn that sparked celebrations but also criticism from economists. In a contrite address to the nation coinciding with a major Sikh festival -- the religion of many farmers -- Modi said the laws would be repealed in parliament’s winter session, which begins later this month. Thousands of Indian farmers commit suicide every year because of poverty, debt and ever more erratic weather patterns caused by climate change. “Now there will be no agriculture sector reforms for the next 25 years... The farmers first tried to march on New Delhi last November, but violent clashes police prevented them from entering the capital.

Source: The Nation November 20, 2021 02:30 UTC