Maharashtra stays contentious order implementing new farm laws

The Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra on Wednesday withdrew its August order to implement new farm laws in the state, after facing pressure from its allies, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, the Hindustan Times reported.

This came a day after several media reports said that the state department had already issued instructions for the “strict implementation” of the three ordinances issued by the Centre in August, making Maharashtra one of the early states to enforce the contentious measures.

A two-paged notification was issued on August 10 by Maharashtra’s Director of Marketing Satish Soni, asking all agriculture produce and livestock market committees and district agriculture cooperatives in the state to implement the ordinances. On September 27, President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the three farm bills that were passed in the Parliament last week amidnationwide farmers’ protests.