News Analysis India

Tag: farmers

  • ‘Haryana Govt Harassing Farmers, Turned State Into Kashmir Valley’: Farm Leader |

    Chandigarh: Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Tuesday decried the heavy barricading along the borders of Punjab and Haryana in view of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, saying the state borders have been turned into “international borders”. He also accused the Manohar Lal Khattar government of harassing farmers in Haryana.

    “It does not seem Punjab and Haryana are two states. It seems they have become the international border,” Pandher told reporters in Fatehgarh Sahib district ahead of the farmers’ march to Delhi.

    The farmers are demanding a legal guarantee for MSP, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.

    Pandher said while the media has blamed the farmers for blocking roads, the government itself has blocked roads.

    “Even today we are not saying that we will block roads. The government itself has blocked roads for the past two-three days,” Pandher, who is the general secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, said.

    Concrete walls have been erected at the Punjab and Haryana borders, he said. “We grow foodgrains and we feed the country and they have grown a crop of nails” for us,” Pandher said while referring to the elaborate arrangements made by the Haryana authorities to prevent farmers from moving towards the national capital.

    He alleged that many farmers allowing allegiance to them have been detained in Madhya Pradesh. Lashing out at the Haryana government, Pandher said Haryana has been turned into “Kashmir valley.” He alleged that the state government has sent policemen to every village to harass farmers and deployed water cannons.

    Referring to the meeting with the Union Ministers, Pandher said as the meeting remained inconclusive, they decided to head towards Delhi.

    He said farmers rejected the ministers’ offers of formation of a committee over their demands, especially legal guarantee to the minimum support price.

    Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda along with Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting with representatives of farmers on Monday. However, the meeting on the demands put forward by farmers remained inconclusive.

    Farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha plan to head to Delhi from the Ambala-Shambhu, Khanauri-Jind and the Dabwali borders.

  • Online Classes, CRPF, Barricades, Internet Suspension: Delhi-NCR On High Alert Ahead Of Farmers’ Protest |

    New Delhi: Security measures have been significantly increased in and around the national capital, Delhi, and its neighboring areas in anticipation of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march organized by farmer organizations on February 13. To mitigate any potential unrest, law enforcement authorities have installed large containers, cemented and iron barricades, as well as water cannons at the Singhu border of Delhi.

    Delhi has imposed Section 144 (prohibitory orders) for a period of 30 days, until March 12 in the national capital in view of the ‘Delhi Chalo March’ call given by farmers for Tuesday.

    Online Classes In Noida

    Noida authority has asked schools located in the vicinity of the Noida express to conduct virtual classes for students of all the classes ahead of the farmer’s protest to avert any untoward incident. 

    CRPF Deployed, Mobile Internet Services Suspended In Haryana

    To maintain the law and order situation in the state, Haryana has deployed the CRPF and other security agencies. Mobile internet services and bulk SMS have also been suspended in seven districts until February 13.

    In view of the farmers’ protest, the Gurugram police on Monday tightened security on the Mewat, Rewari, and Jhajjar borders. Meanwhile, Gurugram police started checking suspicious vehicles and also put up barricades on the border for vehicles entering Gurugram while a large number of security personnel were deployed there.

    In Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed in the city for 60 days.

     

  • Section 144, Internet Ban Imposed In Parts Of Haryana Ahead Of Farmers’ Protest March To Delhi |

    New Delhi: Haryana is facing more and more restrictions due to the farmers’ agitation. The Haryana government has banned internet services in seven districts of the state, namely Ambala, Jind, Kurukshetra, Hisar, Kaithal, Fatehabad and Sirsa. Meanwhile, Section 144 has been enforced in Panchkula, which is close to Chandigarh. Panchkula DCP Sumer Singh Pratap said that there is a prohibition on holding rallies, protests, march pasts and carrying any kind of sticks, rods or weapons with pedestrians or tractor trolleys and other vehicles.

    After the farmers’ organizations announced their march to Delhi on 13 February, the security has been tightened in the Punjab-Haryana border areas to stop them from reaching the national capital. The Punjab-Haryana borders have been sealed. The borders have been shut by barricades, boulders, sand-filled tippers and barbed wire.

    Internet Suspension:

    As per an official order, mobile internet services will be suspended in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts from 6 am on 11 February to 11.30 pm on 13 February.

    Traffic advisory issued Along with sealing the border, a traffic advisory has also been released. The Haryana Police has issued a traffic advisory, anticipating possible traffic disruptions on the main routes of Punjab and Haryana. However, traffic will continue on all other routes in the state. The administration has appealed to the people not to go out unnecessarily during this time and to avoid travelling if possible.

    Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Haryana, Mamta Singh, while giving information, said that to know the current situation of traffic, follow the social media platforms of Haryana Police- Twitter @police_haryana, @DGPHaryana or Facebook account Haryana Police. She also said that in any situation, they can contact on dial-112.

    Section 144 imposed in Kurukshetra The administration has sealed the Haryana Punjab border in the village Tyukar of Pehowa. The Haryana administration has become alert due to the farmers’ march to Delhi on 13 February.

    What Are The Farmers’ Demands?

    The farmers’ main demands are legal guarantee for MSP, implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations, agricultural loan waiver, withdrawal of cases registered against farmers, justice for the victims of Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Many farmer organizations of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have warned of protest on this issue.

     

  • G-20 meet: India to launch portal to ensure that farmers get seeds of best quality

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH: The Union government will soon launch a seed traceability system to ensure the availability of good quality seeds to farmers. India has also developed some climate resilient varieties especially of wheat, which was a major area of discussion in the second agricultural working group meeting of G-20 to make agriculture sustainable with a climate smart approach. Digitalization for agricultural transformation and the global promotion of millets were also discussed.

    Taking to the media here on Thursday after the inaugural session of the meeting, Samuel Praveen Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said, “We are developing a seed traceability portal, which will shortly be launched. It will clearly indicate what kind of seed reaches the farmers to ensure that they get the best quality seeds.”

    “We have about two lakh frontline extension workers reaching out to farmers. We are now working on a digital portal called digital extension platform,” he added.

    ALSO READ | Pandemic preparedness on agenda in meeting of G-20 science advisors in Uttarakhand

    Kumar said, “In this second agricultural deputies meeting of the agricultural working group (AWG), major focus areas are how to make agriculture sustainable and how we are coping with climate change. India has developed some climate resilient varieties especially when it comes to wheat. Despite a heat wave, we could manage production of 1.6 million metric tonnes. The idea is to have interactions with other countries, as Asia is the biggest producer and a major consumer. We have major countries like China, Japan, Korea and Thailand which are regularly contributing in exchanging ideas on what are the strategies we can use to become climate resilient.”

    “Secondly, we are focusing on millets as this is the International Year of Millets. Millets are a climate smart produce that not only have nutritional value but also make agriculture sustainable. In the budget announcement, the Indian Institute of Millets has been declared as a centre of excellence so now that will be a focal point to collaborate with other international organisations. The focus is to mainstream millets so that the common man starts eating them. We are creating awareness on millets which we call a ‘Super Food’. Millet production is 18 metric million tonnes in India, which is a global leader in this,” he said.

    Kumar said, “The third area is digitalization of agriculture transformation as we are developing the Agristat and other IT related platforms. Climate resilient innovation and technology is the way out. In the third meeting, scientists will be discussing the education and research part of the agenda,” he said.

    The 19 member countries, 10 invited countries, and 10 international organizations at the meeting will focus on drafting the communiqué and addressing four thematic areas — food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture with a climate smart approach, inclusive agricultural value chains and food systems and digitalization for agricultural transformation.

    CHANDIGARH: The Union government will soon launch a seed traceability system to ensure the availability of good quality seeds to farmers. India has also developed some climate resilient varieties especially of wheat, which was a major area of discussion in the second agricultural working group meeting of G-20 to make agriculture sustainable with a climate smart approach. Digitalization for agricultural transformation and the global promotion of millets were also discussed.

    Taking to the media here on Thursday after the inaugural session of the meeting, Samuel Praveen Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said, “We are developing a seed traceability portal, which will shortly be launched. It will clearly indicate what kind of seed reaches the farmers to ensure that they get the best quality seeds.”

    “We have about two lakh frontline extension workers reaching out to farmers. We are now working on a digital portal called digital extension platform,” he added.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    ALSO READ | Pandemic preparedness on agenda in meeting of G-20 science advisors in Uttarakhand

    Kumar said, “In this second agricultural deputies meeting of the agricultural working group (AWG), major focus areas are how to make agriculture sustainable and how we are coping with climate change. India has developed some climate resilient varieties especially when it comes to wheat. Despite a heat wave, we could manage production of 1.6 million metric tonnes. The idea is to have interactions with other countries, as Asia is the biggest producer and a major consumer. We have major countries like China, Japan, Korea and Thailand which are regularly contributing in exchanging ideas on what are the strategies we can use to become climate resilient.”

    “Secondly, we are focusing on millets as this is the International Year of Millets. Millets are a climate smart produce that not only have nutritional value but also make agriculture sustainable. In the budget announcement, the Indian Institute of Millets has been declared as a centre of excellence so now that will be a focal point to collaborate with other international organisations. The focus is to mainstream millets so that the common man starts eating them. We are creating awareness on millets which we call a ‘Super Food’. Millet production is 18 metric million tonnes in India, which is a global leader in this,” he said.

    Kumar said, “The third area is digitalization of agriculture transformation as we are developing the Agristat and other IT related platforms. Climate resilient innovation and technology is the way out. In the third meeting, scientists will be discussing the education and research part of the agenda,” he said.

    The 19 member countries, 10 invited countries, and 10 international organizations at the meeting will focus on drafting the communiqué and addressing four thematic areas — food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture with a climate smart approach, inclusive agricultural value chains and food systems and digitalization for agricultural transformation.

  • Maharashtra: BJP ministers face farmers’ wrath over plunging onion, cotton prices

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: BJP ministers in Maharashtra face the wrath of the farmers over free-falling prices of onion and cotton.

    This comes even as a group of Tamil Nadu farmers, led by its leader PR Pandian, began their march towards the Parliament from Kanniyakumari, a few days ago, urging the Prime Minister to implement his assurances during farmers’ protest in Delhi. 

    On Sunday, angry farmers threw onions at the vehicle of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Union minister for state and BJP Lok Sabha MP Bharati Pawar and state agriculture minister Abdul Sattar too faced the ire of the farmers.

    The unrest among onion and cotton growers in the state has been escalating over plunging prices and the failure of the Centre to extend a helping hand to the farmers in crisis. 

    Angry farmers could be seen surrounding Bharati Pawar as seen in a video that went viral on social media even as the minister tried to soothe their tempers by stating that the Centre has been buying onion through NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) and ensured that there is no ban on the export of onion as well. She said that onion prices in the international market were down and hence the fall in the prices in the domestic market. Further, the supply of onion in the market is quite high.

    However, in the video, the farmers could be seen attributing the wrong export-import policies of the Centre for their plight. The angry farmers argued that the Centre keeps changing its policies constantly and the farmers are suffering because of this.

    “The Centre should compensate us by buying our onions at the international market rate and also extend all possible help to us,” the farmers insisted.

    Meanwhile, Devendra Fadnavis faced the ire of the farmers in Amaravati where the latter threw onions at his vehicle before the police swung into action and detained the protesters.

    ALSO READ | We’re with onion farmers, says CM Eknath Shinde in Maharashtra assembly

    Maharashtra agriculture minister Abdul Sattar also faced the ire of the farmers at the agricultural exhibition in Amaravati. The farmers informed him that the price of onion has gone down below the price of old newspapers. Farmers argued that last year they sold a quintal of cotton for s 14,000 but currently they get only Rs 8,000 per quintal.

    “We are not able to recover the input cost as well. If the government fail to help us there is no option left for us but to commit suicide,” the farmers told him. 

    As reported by The New Indian Express, the representatives of the Tamil Nadu All Farmers Organization Coordination  Committee, set out their Delhi march from Kanniyakumari late last week. They would travel via Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Vijayawada,  Hyderabad, Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Patna, Varanasi, Jaipur and Chandigarh, before reaching New Delhi on March 20. The farmers are seeking, among other demands, a permanent law for fixing profitable minimum support price for agricultural produce every year.

    MUMBAI: BJP ministers in Maharashtra face the wrath of the farmers over free-falling prices of onion and cotton.

    This comes even as a group of Tamil Nadu farmers, led by its leader PR Pandian, began their march towards the Parliament from Kanniyakumari, a few days ago, urging the Prime Minister to implement his assurances during farmers’ protest in Delhi. 

    On Sunday, angry farmers threw onions at the vehicle of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Union minister for state and BJP Lok Sabha MP Bharati Pawar and state agriculture minister Abdul Sattar too faced the ire of the farmers.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The unrest among onion and cotton growers in the state has been escalating over plunging prices and the failure of the Centre to extend a helping hand to the farmers in crisis. 

    Angry farmers could be seen surrounding Bharati Pawar as seen in a video that went viral on social media even as the minister tried to soothe their tempers by stating that the Centre has been buying onion through NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) and ensured that there is no ban on the export of onion as well. She said that onion prices in the international market were down and hence the fall in the prices in the domestic market. Further, the supply of onion in the market is quite high.

    However, in the video, the farmers could be seen attributing the wrong export-import policies of the Centre for their plight. The angry farmers argued that the Centre keeps changing its policies constantly and the farmers are suffering because of this.

    “The Centre should compensate us by buying our onions at the international market rate and also extend all possible help to us,” the farmers insisted.

    Meanwhile, Devendra Fadnavis faced the ire of the farmers in Amaravati where the latter threw onions at his vehicle before the police swung into action and detained the protesters.

    ALSO READ | We’re with onion farmers, says CM Eknath Shinde in Maharashtra assembly

    Maharashtra agriculture minister Abdul Sattar also faced the ire of the farmers at the agricultural exhibition in Amaravati. The farmers informed him that the price of onion has gone down below the price of old newspapers. Farmers argued that last year they sold a quintal of cotton for s 14,000 but currently they get only Rs 8,000 per quintal.

    “We are not able to recover the input cost as well. If the government fail to help us there is no option left for us but to commit suicide,” the farmers told him. 

    As reported by The New Indian Express, the representatives of the Tamil Nadu All Farmers Organization Coordination  Committee, set out their Delhi march from Kanniyakumari late last week. They would travel via Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Vijayawada,  Hyderabad, Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Patna, Varanasi, Jaipur and Chandigarh, before reaching New Delhi on March 20. The farmers are seeking, among other demands, a permanent law for fixing profitable minimum support price for agricultural produce every year.

  • Farmers lay siege to toll plazas in Punjab over debt waiver

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH:  Farmers of Punjab on Thursday intensified their protest and assured commuters of toll-free travel at 18 plazas in 10 districts of the state against the AAP government for ignoring their demands. Tense situation prevailed at a few places after farmers and toll plaza employees entered into heated arguments.

    The influential Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) – which has presence in Majha and Doaba regions of the state besides some parts of Malwa region – had given a call to hold protests at 18 toll plazas for a month from December 15 to January 15. The reason: to press the state to accept their various demands, including a farm debt waiver, remunerative prices for crops and compensation for damage to crops.

    Toll-free travel will be ensured by the protesting farmers at Amritsar (Kathunagal, Mannawala and Chiddan near Attari), Tarn Taran (Usma and Mannan), Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Moga, Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts have been made toll free.

    KMSC general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “The government is pro-corporate and this is the reason why we have decided to make toll plazas free thus now any vehicle passing through the toll plazas will not pay any toll  till January 15.”

    Amarinder meets PM in Delhi, flags ‘poor’ law & order in PunjabFormer Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament House Complex in Delhi, and flagged the law-and-order situation in Punjab terming it quite grim. He added that he has seen the movement of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and does not want those to be repeated. Referring to growing clout of Amritpal Singh and his supporters and terming that it was a matter of grave concern, Amarinder, who joined the saffron party in September said, “The incident of arson outside a Gurdwara in Jalandhar by supporters of Amritpal Singh is worrisome. He is fashioning himself after Bhindranwale. The situation is quite grim.”

    CHANDIGARH:  Farmers of Punjab on Thursday intensified their protest and assured commuters of toll-free travel at 18 plazas in 10 districts of the state against the AAP government for ignoring their demands. Tense situation prevailed at a few places after farmers and toll plaza employees entered into heated arguments.

    The influential Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) – which has presence in Majha and Doaba regions of the state besides some parts of Malwa region – had given a call to hold protests at 18 toll plazas for a month from December 15 to January 15. The reason: to press the state to accept their various demands, including a farm debt waiver, remunerative prices for crops and compensation for damage to crops.

    Toll-free travel will be ensured by the protesting farmers at Amritsar (Kathunagal, Mannawala and Chiddan near Attari), Tarn Taran (Usma and Mannan), Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Moga, Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts have been made toll free.

    KMSC general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “The government is pro-corporate and this is the reason why we have decided to make toll plazas free thus now any vehicle passing through the toll plazas will not pay any toll  till January 15.”

    Amarinder meets PM in Delhi, flags ‘poor’ law & order in Punjab
    Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament House Complex in Delhi, and flagged the law-and-order situation in Punjab terming it quite grim. He added that he has seen the movement of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and does not want those to be repeated. Referring to growing clout of Amritpal Singh and his supporters and terming that it was a matter of grave concern, Amarinder, who joined the saffron party in September said, “The incident of arson outside a Gurdwara in Jalandhar by supporters of Amritpal Singh is worrisome. He is fashioning himself after Bhindranwale. The situation is quite grim.”

  • Kisan Congress chief writes to PM Modi, says Centre ‘betrayed’ farmers 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Accusing the Centre of having “betrayed” the farmers, the All India Kisan Congress on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the “plight” of the tillers and reiterating the demand for the legal guarantee for MSP for all crops.

    The Congress’ unit for farmers also reiterated the demand for the dismissal of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, the release of “innocent” farmers imprisoned in the case, withdrawal of “fake cases” registered against farmers in various states during the farmers’ agitation and compensation to families of the deceased farmers.

    In his letter to Prime Minister Modi, All India Kisan Congress (AIKC) president Sukhpal Singh Khaira said it is almost one year since tens of thousands of farmers lifted their sit-in and suspended their agitation in December 2021 following the PM’s assurance and withdrawal of three farm laws.

    “Besides the withdrawal of three laws, farmers were promised some other pressing issues, which are matters of life and death for them. But nothing has been done about those demands so far.

    Farmers have been left with no option, but to stage a protest on December 9 in New Delhi as the Central government has so far not taken any confidence-building initiative,” Khaira said.

    Speaking to reporters, Khaira said the Centre has not taken any concrete step in the direction of fulfilling the promises made at the time of the withdrawal of three “anti-farmer” laws.

    He reiterated the demand for the legal guarantee for MSP for all crops and said that MSP should be guaranteed using the C2+50 per cent formula, based on the recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission report.

    In his letter, the AIKC chief demanded that the committee constituted by the Centre for this purpose should be dismissed, and a new committee should be constituted with due representation of farmers and farmer organisations.

    He also demanded that the rate of interest on farmers’ loans be reduced by at least 50 per cent and loans of farm labourers be completely written off.

    Khaira also demanded the implementation of a farmer pension scheme of Rs 5,000 per month for all small, medium and marginal farmers and farm labourers.

    NEW DELHI: Accusing the Centre of having “betrayed” the farmers, the All India Kisan Congress on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the “plight” of the tillers and reiterating the demand for the legal guarantee for MSP for all crops.

    The Congress’ unit for farmers also reiterated the demand for the dismissal of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, the release of “innocent” farmers imprisoned in the case, withdrawal of “fake cases” registered against farmers in various states during the farmers’ agitation and compensation to families of the deceased farmers.

    In his letter to Prime Minister Modi, All India Kisan Congress (AIKC) president Sukhpal Singh Khaira said it is almost one year since tens of thousands of farmers lifted their sit-in and suspended their agitation in December 2021 following the PM’s assurance and withdrawal of three farm laws.

    “Besides the withdrawal of three laws, farmers were promised some other pressing issues, which are matters of life and death for them. But nothing has been done about those demands so far.

    Farmers have been left with no option, but to stage a protest on December 9 in New Delhi as the Central government has so far not taken any confidence-building initiative,” Khaira said.

    Speaking to reporters, Khaira said the Centre has not taken any concrete step in the direction of fulfilling the promises made at the time of the withdrawal of three “anti-farmer” laws.

    He reiterated the demand for the legal guarantee for MSP for all crops and said that MSP should be guaranteed using the C2+50 per cent formula, based on the recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission report.

    In his letter, the AIKC chief demanded that the committee constituted by the Centre for this purpose should be dismissed, and a new committee should be constituted with due representation of farmers and farmer organisations.

    He also demanded that the rate of interest on farmers’ loans be reduced by at least 50 per cent and loans of farm labourers be completely written off.

    Khaira also demanded the implementation of a farmer pension scheme of Rs 5,000 per month for all small, medium and marginal farmers and farm labourers.

  • Govt cheating farmers, MSP hike less than even inflation rate: Congress

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday accused the Modi government of cheating farmers and said the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for rabi crops announced by it is even lesser than the rate of inflation.

    Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala said even as the BJP dispensation is patting its back for MSPs, it has in fact “duped the farmers” and claimed that their hard labour has got lost in the lights of Diwali.

    “The Modi government has once again cheated the farmers on the MSPs. The MSP of Annadata farmers’ hard work got lost again in the lights of Diwali. The Modi government patted its back by announcing the MSP of rabi crops, but duped the farmer and left them to shed tears of blood,” he said in a series of tweets in Hindi.

    Calling out the BJP for what it called as “fraud with farmers”, he said the bitter truth is that the Modi government only announces MSP but does not buy crops on the MSP and demanded that the MSP law granting legal status to MSP is urgently required.

    “BJP’s ‘Shakuni Chausar’ has made the farmer’s life difficult. No Cost+50 percent, no fair price nor enough buying. Neither is the law on MSP being made. Modi ji promised in 2014 that he will give cost plus 50 per cent to farmers. Cost+50 per cent is far away, the declared MSP is less than the MSP demanded by the BJP governments themselves,” he claimed, alleging betrayal with the annadata.

    ALSO READ | Modi government forms panel to make ‘more effective and transparent’ MSP

    The Rajya Sabha MP said leaders can say rhetoric, but statistics don’t lie, claiming that the Congress-UPA government increased the MSP by 205 per cent while in the last eight years of the Modi government, the increase in MSP is only 40 per cent. “The MSP declared by the Modi government is even less than the inflation rate of the country. Inflation increased more and the MSP was less. “Countrymen, please think and speak about the 70 crore farmers and farm labourers of the country for two minutes on Diwali. Think about the toiling farmer-labourer, because of whom you eat even if he destroys himself. Happy Diwali everyone. Jai Jawan,” he said.

    The central government earlier this week raised the MSP of six rabi crops by up to 9 per cent, with Rs 110 per quintal increase for wheat crop to boost domestic production and farmers’ income. Wheat MSP has been raised by 5.45 per cent to Rs 2,125 per quintal from Rs 2,015 per quintal to encourage more area under the crop amid tight government stock position owing to low procurement, fall in production and higher exports.

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday accused the Modi government of cheating farmers and said the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for rabi crops announced by it is even lesser than the rate of inflation.

    Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala said even as the BJP dispensation is patting its back for MSPs, it has in fact “duped the farmers” and claimed that their hard labour has got lost in the lights of Diwali.

    “The Modi government has once again cheated the farmers on the MSPs. The MSP of Annadata farmers’ hard work got lost again in the lights of Diwali. The Modi government patted its back by announcing the MSP of rabi crops, but duped the farmer and left them to shed tears of blood,” he said in a series of tweets in Hindi.

    Calling out the BJP for what it called as “fraud with farmers”, he said the bitter truth is that the Modi government only announces MSP but does not buy crops on the MSP and demanded that the MSP law granting legal status to MSP is urgently required.

    “BJP’s ‘Shakuni Chausar’ has made the farmer’s life difficult. No Cost+50 percent, no fair price nor enough buying. Neither is the law on MSP being made. Modi ji promised in 2014 that he will give cost plus 50 per cent to farmers. Cost+50 per cent is far away, the declared MSP is less than the MSP demanded by the BJP governments themselves,” he claimed, alleging betrayal with the annadata.

    ALSO READ | Modi government forms panel to make ‘more effective and transparent’ MSP

    The Rajya Sabha MP said leaders can say rhetoric, but statistics don’t lie, claiming that the Congress-UPA government increased the MSP by 205 per cent while in the last eight years of the Modi government, the increase in MSP is only 40 per cent. “The MSP declared by the Modi government is even less than the inflation rate of the country. Inflation increased more and the MSP was less. “Countrymen, please think and speak about the 70 crore farmers and farm labourers of the country for two minutes on Diwali. Think about the toiling farmer-labourer, because of whom you eat even if he destroys himself. Happy Diwali everyone. Jai Jawan,” he said.

    The central government earlier this week raised the MSP of six rabi crops by up to 9 per cent, with Rs 110 per quintal increase for wheat crop to boost domestic production and farmers’ income. Wheat MSP has been raised by 5.45 per cent to Rs 2,125 per quintal from Rs 2,015 per quintal to encourage more area under the crop amid tight government stock position owing to low procurement, fall in production and higher exports.

  • Stubble burning: More than 700 farm fires recorded in Punjab .

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: More than 700 farm fires have been recorded so far in Punjab despite the state authorities making several efforts to curb the practice of stubble burning.

    According to data from the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, the state witnessed four farm fire incidents—two in Amritsar and one each in Ludhiana and Kapurthala on Monday.

    From September 15 till October 10, a total of 718 farm fire incidents have been recorded, as per the data.

    On the same day in 2020 and 2021, the state had witnessed 244 and 150 farm fires, respectively, according to the data.

    The farm fires continued despite the state government assuring more crop residue management machines and launching massive awareness programmes against stubble burning.

    The stubble burning incidents are expected to rise in coming days as paddy harvesting got delayed by at least 10 days because of rains last month.

    A few days ago, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had even held meetings with various farmer bodies and had told them that his government was making all-out efforts for the management of paddy stubble and had urged the farmers to support it for the same while stressing the need for protecting the environment.

    Mann had also said that a total of 1.22 lakh crop residue management machines had been made available for farmers in the current season.

    A mobile app had also been developed whereby farmers could come to know about the availability of machines for the management of paddy straw within a radius of two-three kilometers.

    However, farmers have been demanding Rs 6,000 per acre for stubble management.

    Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November.

    As the window for rabi crop wheat is very short after paddy harvest, farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue.

    Punjab generates around 180 lakh tonnes of paddy straw annually.

    The state recorded 71,304 such fire incidents in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019 and 50,590 in 2018 with many districts including Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda and Amritsar witnessing large number of stubble-burning incidents.

    CHANDIGARH: More than 700 farm fires have been recorded so far in Punjab despite the state authorities making several efforts to curb the practice of stubble burning.

    According to data from the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, the state witnessed four farm fire incidents—two in Amritsar and one each in Ludhiana and Kapurthala on Monday.

    From September 15 till October 10, a total of 718 farm fire incidents have been recorded, as per the data.

    On the same day in 2020 and 2021, the state had witnessed 244 and 150 farm fires, respectively, according to the data.

    The farm fires continued despite the state government assuring more crop residue management machines and launching massive awareness programmes against stubble burning.

    The stubble burning incidents are expected to rise in coming days as paddy harvesting got delayed by at least 10 days because of rains last month.

    A few days ago, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had even held meetings with various farmer bodies and had told them that his government was making all-out efforts for the management of paddy stubble and had urged the farmers to support it for the same while stressing the need for protecting the environment.

    Mann had also said that a total of 1.22 lakh crop residue management machines had been made available for farmers in the current season.

    A mobile app had also been developed whereby farmers could come to know about the availability of machines for the management of paddy straw within a radius of two-three kilometers.

    However, farmers have been demanding Rs 6,000 per acre for stubble management.

    Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November.

    As the window for rabi crop wheat is very short after paddy harvest, farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue.

    Punjab generates around 180 lakh tonnes of paddy straw annually.

    The state recorded 71,304 such fire incidents in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019 and 50,590 in 2018 with many districts including Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda and Amritsar witnessing large number of stubble-burning incidents.

  • Jantar Mantar protest: Farmers charm the lot with traditional attire, emotional connect 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Among the hundreds of farmers who began their demonstration at the Jantar Mantar over a slew of issues, 64-year-old Sriaj Kodyuriv from Kerala garnered the most attention with his ‘Adivasi’ attire Kodyuriv reached Delhi on Monday after covering a three-day train journey from Kerala.

    For several hours, he stood at Jantar Mantar holding placards that read Implement MSP, Save farmer’.

    “Farmers are closest to nature. If they abandon their farm equipment, we won’t be getting any food. I am here for this,” Kodyuriv said.

    Asked why he chose the ‘Adivasi’ attire, he said: “This is to send a message that the farmers and tribal people deserve their rights.

    “Jantar Mantar buzzed with voices of dissent on Monday as farmers from all over the country gathered here demanding a law ensuring minimum support price for crops, farm loan waiver, and sacking of Union Minister Ajay Mishra.

    Ajay Mishra is the father of Ashish Mishra, an accused in a case related to mowing down four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh during a farmer protest last October.

    Farmers, hundreds in number, launched their protest amid heavy security arrangements in a ‘mahapanchayat’ called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) at Jantar Mantar.

    They waved flags, wore caps with the name of their farm organisations inscribed on them, and raised slogans for farmer unity and against the Centre accusing it of not coming good on its promises.

    Farmers protested at the Gazipur border in New Delhi.Express video | @parveennegi1. pic.twitter.com/3WRQltgFuQ
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) August 22, 2022
    Magha Nibori, a farmer from Punjab with one acre of farmland which he cultivates with seasonal crops, said he came here fully prepared to stay put, if required.

    Many travelled thousands of kilometres to take part in the mahapanchayat.

    “I am here from Cochin. Around 250 people have come from Kerala and nearby states to urge PM Modi to agree to our demands regarding MSP law, and other issues. We want India to withdraw from the WTO. Ajay Mishra should resign,” said Paulsen, a 50-year-old farmer from Cochin, Kerala.

    Many farmers registered their protests in their own unique ways.

    One of them came wearing a garland of garlic, while another, a woman, wore a saree with tricolours.

    “The government made a promise but now they are not doing anything. There is no concrete action taken by the government. If we can raise a person to power. We can also bring him down. The government should understand this,” Kavita, clad in tricolour print saree, said.

    As farmers associated with different unions reached Delhi, police obstructed their way to the protest site erecting deep layers of barricades across entry points of the city, and checked every vehicle entering the national capital, causing huge traffic jams.

    Besides the borders, Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri, key stretches on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, the Palam flyover, Aurobindo Marg, Ring Road (near Indraprastha Park), the Ghaziabad-Wazirabad road, and the Munirka road, and several other stretches, witnessed traffic snarls.

    Other than north India, farmers from states such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha and Kerala arrived in Delhi to take part in the ‘mahapanchayat.’

    NEW DELHI: Among the hundreds of farmers who began their demonstration at the Jantar Mantar over a slew of issues, 64-year-old Sriaj Kodyuriv from Kerala garnered the most attention with his ‘Adivasi’ attire Kodyuriv reached Delhi on Monday after covering a three-day train journey from Kerala.

    For several hours, he stood at Jantar Mantar holding placards that read Implement MSP, Save farmer’.

    “Farmers are closest to nature. If they abandon their farm equipment, we won’t be getting any food. I am here for this,” Kodyuriv said.

    Asked why he chose the ‘Adivasi’ attire, he said: “This is to send a message that the farmers and tribal people deserve their rights.

    “Jantar Mantar buzzed with voices of dissent on Monday as farmers from all over the country gathered here demanding a law ensuring minimum support price for crops, farm loan waiver, and sacking of Union Minister Ajay Mishra.

    Ajay Mishra is the father of Ashish Mishra, an accused in a case related to mowing down four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh during a farmer protest last October.

    Farmers, hundreds in number, launched their protest amid heavy security arrangements in a ‘mahapanchayat’ called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) at Jantar Mantar.

    They waved flags, wore caps with the name of their farm organisations inscribed on them, and raised slogans for farmer unity and against the Centre accusing it of not coming good on its promises.

    Farmers protested at the Gazipur border in New Delhi.
    Express video | @parveennegi1. pic.twitter.com/3WRQltgFuQ
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) August 22, 2022
    Magha Nibori, a farmer from Punjab with one acre of farmland which he cultivates with seasonal crops, said he came here fully prepared to stay put, if required.

    Many travelled thousands of kilometres to take part in the mahapanchayat.

    “I am here from Cochin. Around 250 people have come from Kerala and nearby states to urge PM Modi to agree to our demands regarding MSP law, and other issues. We want India to withdraw from the WTO. Ajay Mishra should resign,” said Paulsen, a 50-year-old farmer from Cochin, Kerala.

    Many farmers registered their protests in their own unique ways.

    One of them came wearing a garland of garlic, while another, a woman, wore a saree with tricolours.

    “The government made a promise but now they are not doing anything. There is no concrete action taken by the government. If we can raise a person to power. We can also bring him down. The government should understand this,” Kavita, clad in tricolour print saree, said.

    As farmers associated with different unions reached Delhi, police obstructed their way to the protest site erecting deep layers of barricades across entry points of the city, and checked every vehicle entering the national capital, causing huge traffic jams.

    Besides the borders, Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri, key stretches on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, the Palam flyover, Aurobindo Marg, Ring Road (near Indraprastha Park), the Ghaziabad-Wazirabad road, and the Munirka road, and several other stretches, witnessed traffic snarls.

    Other than north India, farmers from states such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha and Kerala arrived in Delhi to take part in the ‘mahapanchayat.’