The recent release of the draft National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing (NPFAM) by the Union Agriculture Ministry for public feedback has been labeled as more perilous than the three farm laws that were repealed in 2021, according to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a coalition of approximately 500 farmers’ organizations.

In response, the SKM has called for Kisan Mahapanchayats to take place in Tohana, Haryana, and Moga, Punjab, on Saturday, with plans to initiate a new protest on January 9, demanding the repeal of the NPFAM. These gatherings are expected to pass resolutions opposing the policy framework.

Established in 2020, the SKM led a year-long movement against three controversial laws that deregulated agricultural trade, which were enacted during the pandemic. Thousands of farmers protested at Delhi’s borders until the government agreed to repeal those laws.

The SKM warns that if the new draft policy is enacted, it will undermine the federal authority of state governments and harm the interests of farmers, agricultural workers, small producers, and traders, as it lacks any provisions for guaranteed minimum support prices for crops or minimum wages for agricultural laborers.

The SKM applauded Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for rejecting the NPFAM and urged other state governments and chief ministers to follow suit. The organization called for a democratic dialogue involving all stakeholders, including farmers, workers, small traders, industrialists, and exporters, to create an alternative policy framework that protects the interests of the populace and the nation.

The SKM argues that the NPFAM aims to merge agricultural production and marketing in a way that prioritizes corporate interests over the welfare of small producers and farmers. They fear that the draft policy represents a fundamental overhaul of the current agricultural marketing system, proposing the creation of a unified national market linked to a value chain-oriented infrastructure.

According to the SKM, the goal is to facilitate the entry of corporate agribusiness by merging 7,057 registered markets and 22,931 rural haats across India into a Digital Public Infrastructure. This proposal aligns closely with the viewpoints of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which define the value chain as encompassing all activities needed to bring a product or service through various production phases, including sourcing raw materials and inputs.

The SKM also expressed concern regarding the integration of both private and public sectors through advanced technologies like digital public infrastructure, blockchain, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. They contend that these reforms would lead to deregulation, enabling corporate agribusinesses to dominate production, processing, and marketing.

They noted that Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) are positioned to play a crucial role in this system, aimed at eliminating middlemen and facilitating direct supply of raw materials to corporate industries, trade, and export channels. This could concentrate control within large corporations, potentially marginalizing smaller producers and diminishing their bargaining power in the marketplace. Furthermore, the SKM emphasized the absence of any guarantees for a remunerative minimum support price (MSP) for farmers, a key recommendation from the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) under the late M.S. Swaminathan, and a significant topic in current national political debates.

A group of approximately 100-150 people on Saturday threw stones at a facility in Pithampur, located in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district, where 337 tonnes of Union Carbide waste associated with the Bhopal gas tragedy is scheduled to be incinerated, according to a police official.

Inspector Om Prakash Ahir of the Pithampur police station reported that the mob targeted the entrance of the facility. Authorities are currently investigating to identify the individuals responsible and to take appropriate legal measures.

This incident follows protests on Friday against the waste disposal plan, coinciding with a bandh called by the Pithampur Bachao Samiti. On that day, a larger mob of 500-600 individuals had marched toward the premises of Ramky Group’s Industrial Waste Management Private Limited, where the waste is intended to be incinerated.

Police were able to disperse the crowd before any major incidents occurred. Later that evening, the district administration enacted prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) around the facility to maintain order and prevent any potential harm to life or property.

These prohibitory measures will remain in effect until January 12, aimed at preventing the display of weapons, celebratory gunfire, and to ensure peace in the vicinity of the incineration site.

The order was issued to mitigate risks following the tragic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leak from the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal on the night of December 2-3, 1984, which resulted in over 5,479 fatalities and countless individuals suffering from long-term health issues. The waste, recently transported from the Union Carbide factory, arrived at the Pithampur incineration site on Thursday.

In light of the protests, Madhya Pradesh police have registered five cases against demonstrators opposing the waste disposal, with some cases naming individuals while others involve unidentified suspects. Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Singh confirmed that order was restored in Pithampur by Saturday morning, and all industrial operations were running smoothly.

The registered cases stem from various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including unlawful assembly and rioting. Notably, during the protests on Friday, two individuals attempted self-immolation, but quick actions by bystanders averted tragedy, and the individuals were hospitalized.

In response to the escalating situation, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav held a high-level meeting on Friday night to assess the developments. He stated that the state government had adhered to safety regulations in accordance with Supreme Court instructions while transporting the Union Carbide waste and that the government would wait for further court guidance before proceeding.

The court had mandated that the waste be delivered to its designated location by January 4. Yadav emphasized that should public safety concerns arise, the state government would present the matter in court and act accordingly.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiran Rijiju shared an old video on social media platform X featuring stand-up comedian Varun Grover, who humorously criticised Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal and his evolving relationship with the Congress party.

In a social media post on X ( formerly Twitter), the senior BJP leader, sharing the video clip, wrote: “I like this guy! He may be satirical but brutally veracious! You are absolutely right!”

A social media influencer named Garima reacted to the Union Minister’s post with another video of Grover, the multi-talented personality, roasting the BJP for losing the Ayodhya seat in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections even after constructing Ram Mandir.

Sharing the video, Garima wrote: “We like this guy too for the same reason you mentioned- You are absolutely right.”

“To begin with, I believe there’s no need for humour at this moment; I could find amusement in the fact that they lost Ayodhya, for the next five years,” Grover said in the video.

As the Assembly elections in the capital approach, AAP and Congress are engaged in a war of words, criticising each other on various fronts.

On December 26, the Aam Aadmi Party announced a significant ultimatum: it would demand the removal of Congress from the INDIA alliance if Congress leader Ajay Maken did not face consequences within 24 hours.

During a press conference, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh accused the Congress of colluding with the BJP, alleging that their actions were designed to benefit the BJP in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.

He pointed out that Congress had filed a first information report (FIR) against Kejriwal, despite the fact that Kejriwal had campaigned for Congress candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and even travelled to Chandigarh to support them.

On January 4, Kejriwal taunted that Congress and BJP should openly declare their alliance, as both parties intensified their attacks on the former chief minister in the lead-up to the Assembly polls.

Kejriwal slammed Congress, claiming that aside from a few media representatives, the public had begun to disregard the party. He also alleged a “covert, behind-the-scenes” collaboration between Congress and BJP targeting the Assembly elections.

Relations between AAP and Congress, both members of the Opposition INDIA bloc, have deteriorated following their inability to form an alliance for the Haryana elections.

AAP is also calling for action against senior Congress leader Maken for labelling Kejriwal as “anti-national,” warning that it will consult other INDIA bloc parties about removing Congress from the coalition.

Meanwhile, the BJP Saturday released its first candidate list for the elections, which names nominees for 29 of the 70 seats in the national capital, while AAP has already announced its complete lineup of candidates.