Abstract

The case “India’s ‘Farm Bills 2020’ – Boon or Bane for the Farmers?”, is about the farm bills introduced by the Government of India (GoI) in September 2020. There were large scale protests from farmers from the north western part of India as they felt that that the farm laws were being implemented to do away with the Minimum Support Price (MSP) which would leave them at the mercy of the corporate, who would then dictate the prices of the agri produce. The case deals with the gradual progress of the farm laws in India and the protests by the farmers against the new farm laws. The case also dwells upon the positive aspects of the farm bills and the benefits that might accrue to the various stakeholders in the farming sector. The farmers were adamant about their stand that the farm bills be repealed. The case ends with the steps taken by the GoI to engage with the farmers and find a solution to the impasse. It remains to be seen how the farmers and the GoI manage to work out a compromise and resolve the issue.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the concept of public policy and its formulation and implementation
• Analyze the various difficulties faced in the implementation of government welfare schemes
• Understand the importance of laying the groundwork before implementing a public policy
• Understand the importance of sustainability in social welfare programs being rolled out by governments.

Keywords

Farm Bills; Minimum support price; Agriculture produce market committees; Mandis; Privatization; Public policy; Social welfare; Farmer protests; Agri service providers; Agri produce