[GreenYouth] Victory March of the Farmers' Struggle (and WTO)

[Sukla Sen]

The demand to get out of the WTO is an utterly uninformed and dangerous one.

It's a collective - multilateral, forum - that too giving a veto power, to
every single member.
It places the weaker ones at way lesser disadvantage as compared to any
bilateral dealing with a stronger one.

Two examples are very instructive.

One, Cuba is shouting and screaming (unsuccessfuy) for ages to get trade
relations with the US restored.
Shows up the absolute imperative of global trade for a nation in the
industrialised era.
(China and Russia could get into the WTO after struggling for too long.)

Two, General Assembly of the UN passed a resolution recognising the
Palestinian state - in the teeth of strong American opposition.
Shows up the utility of a multilateral forum for the weaker ones.
(Even in Glasgow, India duly backed up by China could successfully sabotage
the fight against ecocidal coal.)

*To summarise*:
The essential points are just two and rather straightforward.

I. One can't do without trade - even if unequal and unfair.
No trade is far worse, virtually suicide.
(To illustrate, simple "steel" - a very basic stuff, requires just not iron
ore and coal - but also various other minerals, linked to the intended uses.
All these would rarely be available within the boundaries of a particular
state.
As one goes up further the production chain, the requirements grow far
diverse.
That's how and why the US and China remain major trade partners.)

II. When a weak one is to deal with a (far) stronger one, a multilateral
platform is way better than a bilateral dealing.
(A global treaty is advantageous to the stronger ones as well - as it
hugely cuts down the hassles of individual deals and makes life way
smoother and simpler.)

*Addendum*

Anti-WTO noises - couched in the jargons of anti-imperialism and all that,
by the farmers (of the under/less developed world) actually cloaks an
internal conflict.

The pact on agricultural trade is not a stand-alone one.
It comes bundled with some other pacts by virtue of which the lesser ones
get to access the markets of the richer ones with some other (usually
low-end industrial) products.
So, here, a (lesser) state strikes a trade-off between the competing
interests of various domestic sections: one is benefited at the cost of
another.


[In the meanwhile, the Union Agriculture Minister has announced conceding
yet another demand of the agitating farmers.
The farmers have, in turn, withdrawn the programme of tractor march to the
Sansad Bhavan on November 29th.]



An year of Delhi Morcha: huge rally by BKU (EktaUgrahan) at Tikri Border;
Struggle to continue for remaining demands in victorious spirit
New Delhi, November 26
BKU (EktaUgrahan) marked the annual anniversary of Delhi Morcha at Pakaura
Chowk, New Delhi with a huge historic public rally. After the announcement
of repeal of farm laws participants from Punjab, Haryana and sections of
society supporting the agitation celebrated the victory and resolved to
continue the struggle for the remaining demands. Men and women activists
participated in the rally in very large numbers.
The rally started with a tribute to more than 700 martyrs who sacrificed
their lives during the struggle.
State committee of the organisation saluted the martyrs memorial
temporarily established in the rally ground. Participants joined the
tribute standing silently for two minutes as revolutionary poet Sant Ram
Udasi’s anthem of martyrs ‘chadhan waleoo haqaan di bhet utteh’ (o people
who sacrificed their lives for rights) was played from the stage.
While addressing the rally Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president of BKU
(EktaUgrahan) declared that getting the farm laws repealed is a historic
victory which has been made possible by the unity of farmers & farm
labourers from across the country and global solidarity. He reminded that
demands like procurement of agriculture produce of all crops at
remunerative MSP and universal PDS are still unfulfilled. The government is
maintaining silence about these demands. He said that decision about the
future course of the agitation will be taken after formal repeal of laws by
the parliament and acceptance of other demands. He stated that farmers will
continue to occupy the protest sites. He appealed that unity achieved
through this struggle needs to be strengthened further so that a cross
country movement be built to achieve pro-peasant solution of the agrarian
crisis.

Sukhdev Singh Kokri, General Secretary of the organisation stated that
demand like procurement on MSP and PDS are unaddressed as Indian state is
committed to implement policies of WTO. The farm laws were part of these
policies so the real solution lies in India getting out WTO agreements. He
added that the organisation will protest against WTO’s meeting from
November 29 to December 3 in Geneva that India should come out of it.
Effigies of WTO will be burnt at protest sites in Delhi and 

Re: [GreenYouth] Press Release: Process for formation of ‘National Kisan Commission’ announced

[Jayaprakash Nd]

Thanks Sasi

On Sat, 27 Nov 2021, 13:31 KP Sasi,  wrote:

> Published. Kindly share and circulate.
>
> https://countercurrents.org/2021/11/national-kisan-commission/
>
> K.P. Sasi
>
> On Thu, Nov 25, 2021 at 4:57 PM Gopal Krishna 
> wrote:
>
>> *Nation for Farmers *
>>
>> *Press Release, November 25, 2021*
>>
>>
>>
>> *Nation for Farmers** (NFF)** announce**s** the process for formation of
>> a ‘National Kisan Commission’*
>>
>> Nation for Farmers and other collaborating platforms and organizations
>> announce the process of formation of a ‘Kisan Commission’ to assess and
>> report on the state of agriculture. As the challenges facing the farmers of
>> all the different states and sectors encompassed by agriculture and allied
>> sectors providing incomes to various sections of the farming populations in
>> India the Kisan Commission will be holding a process of public inquiry in
>> collaboration with the organizations of different types of farming across
>> the length and breadth of the country.
>>
>> Why a Kisan Commission? Because Commissions set up by officialdom have
>> been buried whenever their recommendations ran counter to government and
>> corporate interests. The National Commission for Farmers, more popularly
>> known as the ‘Swaminathan Commission’ chaired by eminent agro-scientist Dr.
>> M.S. Swaminathan, suffered this fate. The commission’s important
>> recommendations remain immensely popular with farmers everywhere in the
>> country. Some of those – especially those relating to formulation of a
>> Minimum Support Price for crops – remain to be addressed immediately to get
>> the farmers to return to the states.
>>
>> It is 16 years since the Swaminathan Commission submitted the first of
>> its five reports to the government. Though there were repeated calls for a
>> special discussion in Parliament, both the UPA and NDA refused to dedicate
>> even minimal time for debating the report’s recommendations in Parliament.
>> For years now, the Nation for Farmers platform has been calling upon the
>> government to organize a special session of Parliament to discuss the
>> report and related issues in the context of the ongoing agrarian crisis
>> that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of farmers these past
>> two decades.
>>
>> The first report of the Swaminathan Commission was submitted in December
>> 2004 and the last in October 2006. Not a day was spent by parliament in
>> discussing arguably the most important report on agriculture in this
>> country’s independent history. And now 16 years have passed, new and
>> pressing issues combined with earlier existing ones that have sharpened
>> seriously (such as climate change, indebtedness and more) – it calls for a
>> new status report.
>>
>> Also note the futility of other ‘official’ commissions. The Supreme Court
>> of India ordered the formation of a committee to study the problems of the
>> farmers and offer solutions. It was packed with self-declared supporters of
>> the farm laws. Now, with the government saying it will repeal those laws in
>> parliament, members of the committee themselves acknowledge its
>> irrelevance. Meanwhile, the media continue to assert that only
>> pro-corporate measures can be called ‘reforms.’
>>
>> Kisan organizations have the challenge of consolidating the
>> people-centric platform around the labor organizations, women organizations
>> environmental groups, social movements and a variety of rights based
>> platforms and networks of citizen groups involved with the struggles taking
>> place around access to food and nutrition, holistic health, transformative
>> education and safe environment, forest rights and revitalization of rural
>> industries and value added agricultural activities taking place at the
>> local level.
>>
>> The National Kisan Commission’s idea is to create a robust vision and
>> strategy of agrarian transformation with the active participation of
>> farmers’ organizations with the aim to integrate the agenda of politics of
>> food diversity, ecological sustainability, equity and social justice into
>> the process of agricultural transitions without being influenced by
>> corporate capital.
>>
>> The National Kisan Commission will have some of the most eminent farmers
>> and agrarian intellectuals on it. The final composition of the Commission
>> will need a little time to determine. It will represent farmers from all
>> across the country. It would also encourage state-level kisan commissions
>> that could conduct studies, investigations, and hearings across the nation
>> amongst the agrarian classes and groups.
>>
>> The Nation for Farmers has begun the formation of this Kisan Commission.
>> The Swaminathan report was the product of a group of eminent experts set up
>> by the government that consulted widely amongst farmers and others. The
>> Kisan Commission will be set up within the consent and control of farmers
>> themselves and consult experts and others – and create joint 

Re: [GreenYouth] Press Release: Process for formation of ‘National Kisan Commission’ announced

[KP Sasi]

Published. Kindly share and circulate.

https://countercurrents.org/2021/11/national-kisan-commission/

K.P. Sasi

On Thu, Nov 25, 2021 at 4:57 PM Gopal Krishna 
wrote:

> *Nation for Farmers *
>
> *Press Release, November 25, 2021*
>
>
>
> *Nation for Farmers** (NFF)** announce**s** the process for formation of
> a ‘National Kisan Commission’*
>
> Nation for Farmers and other collaborating platforms and organizations
> announce the process of formation of a ‘Kisan Commission’ to assess and
> report on the state of agriculture. As the challenges facing the farmers of
> all the different states and sectors encompassed by agriculture and allied
> sectors providing incomes to various sections of the farming populations in
> India the Kisan Commission will be holding a process of public inquiry in
> collaboration with the organizations of different types of farming across
> the length and breadth of the country.
>
> Why a Kisan Commission? Because Commissions set up by officialdom have
> been buried whenever their recommendations ran counter to government and
> corporate interests. The National Commission for Farmers, more popularly
> known as the ‘Swaminathan Commission’ chaired by eminent agro-scientist Dr.
> M.S. Swaminathan, suffered this fate. The commission’s important
> recommendations remain immensely popular with farmers everywhere in the
> country. Some of those – especially those relating to formulation of a
> Minimum Support Price for crops – remain to be addressed immediately to get
> the farmers to return to the states.
>
> It is 16 years since the Swaminathan Commission submitted the first of its
> five reports to the government. Though there were repeated calls for a
> special discussion in Parliament, both the UPA and NDA refused to dedicate
> even minimal time for debating the report’s recommendations in Parliament.
> For years now, the Nation for Farmers platform has been calling upon the
> government to organize a special session of Parliament to discuss the
> report and related issues in the context of the ongoing agrarian crisis
> that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of farmers these past
> two decades.
>
> The first report of the Swaminathan Commission was submitted in December
> 2004 and the last in October 2006. Not a day was spent by parliament in
> discussing arguably the most important report on agriculture in this
> country’s independent history. And now 16 years have passed, new and
> pressing issues combined with earlier existing ones that have sharpened
> seriously (such as climate change, indebtedness and more) – it calls for a
> new status report.
>
> Also note the futility of other ‘official’ commissions. The Supreme Court
> of India ordered the formation of a committee to study the problems of the
> farmers and offer solutions. It was packed with self-declared supporters of
> the farm laws. Now, with the government saying it will repeal those laws in
> parliament, members of the committee themselves acknowledge its
> irrelevance. Meanwhile, the media continue to assert that only
> pro-corporate measures can be called ‘reforms.’
>
> Kisan organizations have the challenge of consolidating the people-centric
> platform around the labor organizations, women organizations environmental
> groups, social movements and a variety of rights based platforms and
> networks of citizen groups involved with the struggles taking place around
> access to food and nutrition, holistic health, transformative education and
> safe environment, forest rights and revitalization of rural industries and
> value added agricultural activities taking place at the local level.
>
> The National Kisan Commission’s idea is to create a robust vision and
> strategy of agrarian transformation with the active participation of
> farmers’ organizations with the aim to integrate the agenda of politics of
> food diversity, ecological sustainability, equity and social justice into
> the process of agricultural transitions without being influenced by
> corporate capital.
>
> The National Kisan Commission will have some of the most eminent farmers
> and agrarian intellectuals on it. The final composition of the Commission
> will need a little time to determine. It will represent farmers from all
> across the country. It would also encourage state-level kisan commissions
> that could conduct studies, investigations, and hearings across the nation
> amongst the agrarian classes and groups.
>
> The Nation for Farmers has begun the formation of this Kisan Commission.
> The Swaminathan report was the product of a group of eminent experts set up
> by the government that consulted widely amongst farmers and others. The
> Kisan Commission will be set up within the consent and control of farmers
> themselves and consult experts and others – and create joint platforms for
> the purpose of follow-up that cannot be killed by government or courtroom
> manoeuvres. Who better to tell us about the real problems of