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: In September, at the height of the pandemic in India, the government succeeded in passing three agricultural reform laws in a short session of parliament, using a parliamentary maneuver to push through the reforms in the upper house. There was also barely any consultation with farmers. “ The government did not consult a single farmers’ organization,” says Yogendra Yadav, the national president of Swaraj India, a political party that is supporting the farmers’ demands. Read more: India’s Biggest Slum Successfully Contained COVID-19. But Can Its Residents Survive the Economic Collapse? What are the Indian government’s reforms? Since India’s “ Green Revolution ” in the 1960s, the Indian government has run a scheme where it guarantees farmers a set price for certain crops. Combined with advances in farming technology, that system has helped India move from widespread hunger to big annual food surpluses. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, officials estimated there would be 100 million tons of grain available to see India through the lockdown, enough to last at least 18 months.