An examination of the pitfalls of the open-ended grain procurement system

While the agitating farmers are clamouring for its continuation, the mechanism is a drain on govt resources, with the Centre buying far in excess of what it needs for distribution under PDS

As thousands of farmers brave the winter chill to agitate against the three farm acts, a dominant fear for most of them is the impact that dismantling of the Minimum Support Price (MSP)-based mechanism will have on their livelihoods, given that the system has been a lifeline for states such as Punjab, Haryana and a few others for long.

The protests, which started sometime in June largely in Punjab and Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have moved on to Delhi since the past one month, with thousands of farmers camping around the city's borders seeking repeal of the three agricultural laws