In major win for small-scale farmers in India, prime minister announces repeal of controversial ag laws
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India announced he would repeal three agricultural laws passed last September, a major win for small-scale farmers who have been protesting for more than a year, Vice reports. The laws were an attempt by the government to “liberalize” the country’s agricultural sector (or “deregulate and privatize” it, depending on who you ask), but farmers worried the policy change would give large corporations more power and spark the decline of a system that guaranteed a minimum price for their crops. Almost exactly a year ago, they launched a massive strike, establishing protest camps that housed an estimated 300,000 people on Delhi’s borders. It’s unclear whether the repeal will prompt farmers to dismantle the camps; some say they plan to hold out until the government formally codifies minimum prices. —H. Claire Brown
