(851) 讀新聞 看世界
【素心素食素問 譯自 紐約時報】
印度農民為何而抗爭？
1 在上周二 ( 1 月 26 日 ) 發生的抗議中，至少有一位抗議者死亡，還有 300 多名警察受傷。在這場抗議中，數萬名農民走上了新德裡的街頭，有的還駕駛著拖拉機，大聲疾呼取消頗具爭議的新農業法令。
2 當天是印度的國慶日，抗議的農民搶了國慶慶典的風頭：他們與警察發生衝突，摧毀路障，並且突襲具有 400 年歷史的地標性建築紅堡。
3 抗議者何許人也？
4 當日參與抗議的農民，大多數是來自旁遮普邦和哈裡亞那邦的錫克教教徒。錫克教是印度的宗教少數派。其他地區的農民之前也為新的農業法令之事舉行了抗議集會。
5 印度有 13 億人口，多於 60% 的人至今仍然以農維生；但是，整個國家的農業產出僅佔囯民經濟的 15% 左右。
6 尤其新冠疫情重創印度的城市經濟之後，數以百萬計的勞動者返回農村，人們的生計更加依賴於農業。這些年來，由於債務和破產的壓力，印度農民的自殺率一直居高不下。
7 抗議者訴求什麼？
8 抗議者質疑並反對總理納倫德拉•莫迪在印度農業領域所主張的改革努力。
9 抗議者要求莫迪取消最新的農業法令 — 法令將最大限度地減少政府在農業領域的作用，並且為私人投資者開放更大的農業市場化空間。印度政府表示，新的農業法令將解除對農民和投資者的束縛，從而會帶來經濟增長。然而，印度農民對這一改革主張表示懷疑，他們擔心本來對農業保護就不足的國家力量一旦取消，農民就只能陷入任由那些唯利是圖的私人公司擺布的困境。
10 抗議的農民表示，對市場投其所好的新農業法令，最終會導致國家對農業的監管和支持的完全消失，他們會無依無靠，失去國家的保護；而陷於疲軟的印度經濟，也無力為他們提供另外的謀生機會。
紐約時報 報導
Why are farmers protesting in India?
1 At least one protester was killed and 300 police officers were injured after tens of thousands of farmers, many driving tractors, took to the streets of New Delhi on Tuesday to call for the repeal of contentious new agriculture laws.
2 The farmers upstaged the city's national Republic Day holiday, clashing with the police, destroying barricades and storming the Red Fort, a 400-year-old landmark.
3 Who are the protesters?
4 Many of the protesting farmers are members of the Sikh religious minority and come from the states of Punjab and Haryana. Farmers in other parts of the country have held rallies in solidarity.
5 More than 60% of India's 1.3 billion people still depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihood, though the sector accounts for only about 15% of the country's economic output.
6 Their reliance has only increased after the coronavirus pandemic badly struck the urban economy and sent millions of laborers back to their villages. For years, debts and bankruptcies have driven farmers to high rates of suicide.
7 What do they want?
8 The protesters are challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his efforts to reshape farming in India.
9 The demonstrators are demanding that Modi repeal recent farming laws that would minimize the government's role in agriculture and open more space for private investors. The government says the new laws would unshackle farmers and private investment, bringing growth. But farmers are skeptical, fearing that the removal of state protections that they already consider insufficient would leave them at the mercy of greedy corporations.
10 Farmers say that market-friendly laws will eventually eliminate regulatory support and leave them bereft, with the weakened economy offering little chance of a different livelihood.