Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Union Cabinet on Thursday. Badal, a Member of Parliament from Punjab, has announced this via Twitter, saying, she has tendered her resignation from the Cabinet.
“I have resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislations,” she tweeted, while making an announcement about her resignation.
Her party Shiromani Akali Dal has been opposing the farm bills introduced by the Union Government in Parliament including the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Service Bill.
These bills were passed by the Lok Sabha later on Thursday by a voice vote.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on passing of the bills has said that the legislations would help in bringing comprehensive changes in the agriculture sector and help in bringing private investment and thereby helping the larger economy of the country.
The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) has reacted on passing of the bills that the new legislations will promote barrier-free inter and intra state trade of farmers’ produce, outside the physical premises of market notified under the State Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee.
Further, ICAR added that the bills will create an ecosystem for farmers giving them freedom of choice of trade area for selling their farm produce at better competitive rates.