Title: India Farmer Protests: What to Know | Time
Headings: India's Farmers Are Leading One of the Largest Protests Yet Against Modi's Government. Here's What They're Fighting For
India's Farmers Are Leading One of the Largest Protests Yet Against Modi's Government. Here's What They're Fighting For
What have the protests been like?
What are the Indian government’s reforms?
Why have farmers been resistant to the reforms?
How widespread are the protests, and what is likely to happen next?
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Content: India Farmer Protests: What to Know | Time
World
India
India's Farmers Are Leading One of the Largest Protests Yet Against Modi's Government. Here's What They're Fighting For
India's Farmers Are Leading One of the Largest Protests Yet Against Modi's Government. Here's What They're Fighting For
Farmers gather as they take part in a nationwide general strike to protest against the recent agricultural reforms at the Delhi-Haryana state border in Singhu on December 8, 2020. Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP via Getty Images
By Billy Perrigo
December 8, 2020 1:21 PM EST
F armers in India led a nationwide general strike on Tuesday, capping off weeks of protests against controversial government reforms. Hundreds of thousands of farmers have been protesting on the outskirts of Delhi for nearly two weeks, blocking many of the main arteries into the capital. Farmers are protesting against laws that deregulate the sale of crops, allowing private buyers more free rein in a marketplace that has long been dominated by government subsidies. Farmers say the reforms to laws that have long protected small landholders’ place in the market will put them at risk of losing their businesses and land to big corporations. But the government says the reforms are necessary to increase the efficiency of India’s huge but meager farming sector, which accounts for nearly half of the country’s workforce but makes up only 16% of GDP. The explosive demonstrations show the difficulty the Indian government faces passing economic reforms in such a large sector where there are many vested interests.