India’s agricultural industry is struggling, causing an increasing demand to move agriculture from the State list to the Concurrent list. This stems from the Historical Constitutional provisions Entry 14 of State list of Schedule VII, which states that agriculture falls under state jurisdiction. This includes agricultural education, research, protection against pests, and prevention of plant diseases. The Government of India Act, 1935 advocated for keeping agriculture under state control since it’s region-specific and relies primarily on local agro-ecological conditions and resources.
Challenges Faced by Modern-Day Agriculture in India
Modern agriculture in India has evolved into an integrated economy, transcending regional boundaries and involving interstate commercial transactions. It correlates with other sectors such as trade, industry and services. As result, decisions made by one state can profoundly impact the agri-economy of another. Also, the central government has to rely on state governments to implement national farm development and farmer welfare schemes.
Despite significant legislation pertaining to agriculture enacted by Parliament and administered by the Centre, initiatives aimed at addressing farmers’ issues aren’t yielding expected results due to non-cooperation from some state governments. Notable ones include the crop insurance scheme; the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan), and Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aayy Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) to ensure remunerative prices for the farm produce. Critical reforms like agricultural marketing, land leasing, and contract farming are stagnating for the same reasons. Consequently, states having unfettered control over the farm sector creates more problems than solutions.
| Legislation name | Administered by |
|---|---|
| The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act | Centre |
| The Biological Diversity Act | Centre |
| The National Food Security law | Centre |
Proposed Advantages of Shared Responsibility
Much of the funding for rural infrastructure and irrigation comes from the Centre. By putting agriculture on the Concurrent list, it becomes a shared responsibility between the Centre and the states. This could ensure better implementation of farmer welfare initiatives and broader development programmes.
Recommendations for Constitutional Changes
M.S. Swaminathan-led National Commission on Farmers recommended shifting agriculture to the Concurrent List in their fifth and final report in October 2006. The move would allow the Union government to have more decisive authority on matters related to agriculture, without significantly reducing state powers. Similarly, the Dalwai committee has suggested moving farm marketing to the Concurrent List to improve agricultural mandi’s functional efficiency and upgrade the rural marketing infrastructure.
Past constitutional amendments have moved items from one list to another. For instance, the 42nd amendment in 1976 shifted five subjects, including forests and wildlife protection, from the State List to the Concurrent list. Given the gravity of the situation and potential benefits, all political parties should support another amendment to include agriculture in the Concurrent List.