Farmers in India launch fresh protests over agriculture laws

dpa New Delhi Indian farmers opposed to new agricultural laws  they say will threaten their livelihoods launched fresh protests near the Indian parliamen...

dpa New Delhi Indian farmers opposed to new agricultural laws  they say will threaten their livelihoods launched fresh protests near the Indian parliament on Thursday.The protests, which include a Kisan Sansad or Farmer’s Parliament, will be held on a daily basis in groups of around 200 while the parliament is in session.Farmer leaders are demanding the repeal of three contentious laws at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest spot, not far from parliament.Opposition lawmakers also held protests both outside and inside the parliament over the farm laws, forcing adjournments during the day.Authorities allowed farmers to stage the protests till August 9 between 11 am and 5 pm, under strict Covid-19 protocols including physical distancing, media reports said.Security was tightened with some 2,000 police officers being deployed around the venue to prevent any violence, the reports said. At the end of January, protestors had clashed with security forces, leaving at least one farmer dead and 400 police officers injured.A large number of farmers have camped at the borders of Delhi since November, demanding the withdrawal of the agricultural laws that the government says will modernize and energize the farming sector, on which more than 50 per cent of India’s population depend for a living.The farmers fear the laws that aim to ease regulations around storage and marketing of crops will benefit big corporations and leave them at the mercy of the free market.Federal agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar told reporters that the government was open for talks with farmers on the issue.