"Will improve efficiency of India markets": US on farm laws amid protest

Recognising that peaceful protests are a hallmark of a thriving democracy the US has said it welcomes steps that would improve the efficiency of Indias markets and attract greater private sector investmentThe State Department responding to a question on the ongoing farmers protests in India said on Wednesday the US encourages that any differences between the parties be resolved through dialogueIndicating that the new Biden administration is supportive of the Indian governments move to reform the agricultural sector that attracts private investment and greater market access to farmers a State Department spokesperson said In general the United States welcomes steps that would improve the efficiency of Indias markets and attract greater private sector investmentWe recognise that peaceful protests are a hallmark of any thriving democracy and note that the Indian Supreme Court has stated the same the official saidThe Ministry of External Affairs MEA in New Delhi issued a statement on Wednesday to highlight that the Parliament of India had passed reformist legislation for the agricultural sector which a very small section of farmers have some reservations about and therefore the laws have been kept on hold while talks are heldMeanwhile several American lawmakers came out in support of the farmers protests in IndiaI am concerned by the reported actions against peaceful demonstrators protesting new agricultural reform laws in India Congresswoman Haley Stevens saidIn a statement she encouraged the Indian government and representatives of the protesting farmers to engage in productive discussionsI will continue to monitor this situation closely It has been particularly valuable to engage with stakeholders across the district on this topic and I remain appreciative to all who have reached out to share their perspective Stevens saidAnother Congresswoman Ilhan Omar expressed solidarity with all the farmers protesting for their livelihood across IndiaIndia must protect their basic democratic rights allow for the free flow of information reinstate internet access and release all the journalists detained for covering the protests she wrote on TwitterReferring to the farmers protests Meena Harris niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris alleged that the worlds biggest democracy is under an assaultIts no coincidence that the worlds oldest democracy was attacked not even a month ago and as we speak the most populous democracy is under assault This is related We ALL should be outraged by Indias internet shutdowns and paramilitary violence against farmer protesters she said in a tweetIn a separate statement Gurinder Singh Khalsa chairman of the Sikhs Political Action Committee said the historic farmers protest is turning out to be the biggestever revolution against the Indian governments crony capitalismThis is the beginning of a movement for better accountability and transparency against crony capitalism World was watching and now it has started reacting and mobilising in support of this historic revolution of Indian farmers This will be bigger than Indias freedom Revolution Khalsa who is based in Indiana saidIndia has called the remarks by foreign leaders and organisations on protests by farmers as illinformed and unwarranted asserting that the matter pertains to the internal affairs of a democratic countryEmphasising that the protests must be seen in the context of Indias democratic ethos and polity the MEA in its statement said some vested interest groups have tried to mobilise international support against the countryBefore rushing to comment on such matters we would urge that the facts be ascertained and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertakenThe temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments especially when resorted to by celebrities and others is neither accurate nor responsible the MEA statement said following some highprofile celebrities tweeting over the agitation by the farmersThousands of farmers mainly from Punjab and Haryana have been camping at several Delhi border points since November last year demanding the government to repeal the three farm laws and legal guarantee of minimum support price MSP for their cropsDefending the three contentious agri laws the MEA said These reforms give expanded market access and provided greater flexibility to farmers They also pave the way for economically and ecologically sustainable farmingRecently the International Monetary Fund IMF said Indias new farm laws have the potential to represent a significant step forward for reforms in the agriculture sectorWe believe the farm bills do have the potential to represent a significant step forward for agricultural reforms in India The measures will enable farmers to directly contract with sellers allow farmers to retain a greater share of the surplus by reducing the role of middlemen enhance efficiency and support rural growth IMF Communications Director Gerry Rice told reporters here 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