Lok Sabha on September 17 passed the two contentious farmers' bill amid a walkout by Opposition parties and resignation of a Union minister over the passage of the bill.
The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill were passed by voice vote even as members of the Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Revolutionary Socialist Party staged a walkout.
"The passing of the historic agriculture reform bills in Lok Sabha is important moment for the farmers and agricultural sector of the country. The bills will liberate the farmers from middlemen and other obstacles," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted after the Bills were passed.
"I assure the farmers that the system of MSP (Minimum Support Price) and government procurement will remain. The bills will provide opportunities to the farmers and empower them in true sense," PM Modi said.
Earlier, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had resigned from her post over BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government's farm ordinances, which have triggered farmers' protests across Punjab and Haryana.
Another bill related to the farm sector, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, was passed on September 15.
These three bills will replace ordinances promulgated by the government earlier.
