Punjab Assembly Rejects Centre's Draft Policy on Agricultural Marketing

The Punjab Assembly passed a resolution opposing the Centre's National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing, viewing it as a revival of previously repealed farm laws. The House urged the Punjab government to protect APMC markets, emphasizing state rights and rejecting the draft policy as an infringement on state authority.

In a decisive move, the Punjab Assembly has unanimously condemned the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing proposed by the Centre. The assembly's resolution, put forward by Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, criticizes the policy as a disguised return to the three farm laws that were repealed in 2021 due to widespread farmer protests.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, echoing the sentiments of the resolution, asserted that the state government firmly rejects the draft policy, viewing it as a threat to the autonomous rights of states in the agricultural domain. The resolution detailed concerns that the policy favors private markets, potentially undermining the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) system that currently benefits farmers.

As BJP representatives were absent during the vote, the House called on the Punjab government to fortify its APMC markets against the encroachment of private entities, urging that future policy formulations respect the constitutionally guaranteed rights of states to regulate their markets.