Varshney in the Indian Express on India's Farm Protests

December 16, 2020

In his December 16th, 2020 Indian Express column, "Govt needs to ready solutions that will facilitate agrarian transition without hurting farmers", Varshney discusses India's recent economic reforms. He argues that although the goverment's long-term oagriculture objectives are right, it impacts farmers directly in the short-term and transitional accommodations are needed; claiming that these reforms are different from the 1991-93 reforms (trade, exchange rate, investment licensing, capital markets), which directly touched the elites -- and the masses only later.  Agricultural reforms touch millions of farmers directly -- and here and now. The political requirements for the success of such reforms are different. Read the full article.