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The Union government on 03 June 2020 announced the amendment of the Essential Commodities Act (ECA), as part of a series of steps to revive the rural economy, which was severely impacted by the coronavirus outbreak and the more than two-month-long lockdown imposed to control its spread. The move will help promote freedom to produce, hold, move, distribute and supply and attract the private sector, as well as foreign direct investment, in agriculture, the Union government feels. Already a few states have already announced the steps taken by the Union government at the national level. These include Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, which have given farmers the freedom to sell their produce to an entity of their choice by amending the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act.