Amid energy scarcity, Punjab farmers announce protest towards AAP govt 

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: The farmers and the AAP Government in Punjab are heading for a confrontation as the federal government has known as upon the farmers to go for staggered paddy transplantation and undertake the Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) method to keep away from worsening of the facility disaster.

The name has not gone effectively with the farming group because it had rejected the electrical energy provide schedule for the upcoming paddy sowing season issued by the state authorities and had asserted that they’d begin transplanting paddy from June 10. 

The authorities has determined to stagger paddy transplantation into 4 phases beginning June 18 by, for the primary time, dividing the state into 4 zones, in an effort to cut back using energy through the peak season.

A couple of days again the assembly between the farmers’ unions and Punjab Power Minister Harbhajan Singh and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited Chairman-cum-Managing Director Baldev Singh Sra failed to interrupt the impasse on the problem.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has introduced an indefinite ‘Delhi mannequin’ agitation (The large-scale agitation towards the three farm legal guidelines) towards the state authorities in Chandigarh from May 17.

A call on this regard was taken at a gathering of twenty-three farmers’ unions held in Ludhiana a couple of days in the past. 

Senior SKM  chief and General Secretary of BKU (Lakhowal) Harinder Singh Lakhowal mentioned they’d met the chief minister Bhagwant Mann on April 17 within the assembly the federal government assured them a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal on wheat, MSP on maize and basmati however until date, nothing has been carried out. We have given one month’s time to the federal government to satisfy our calls for and however the authorities failed to take action. Hence, we are going to begin an indefinite agitation in Chandigarh. A tractor-trailer march might be held to begin agitation,
mentioned Lakhowal

Terming the federal government’s transfer as a one-sided choice, Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan mentioned that the state authorities wanted to name a gathering with the farmers earlier than asserting dates for paddy transplantation.

ALSO READ | Farmers protest close to residence of Punjab Power Minister Harbhajan Singh over electrical energy scarcity

The state authorities, for the primary time, has determined to stagger the paddy transplantation into 4 phases ranging from June 18. In an effort in the direction of lowering using energy through the peak season, the state has been divided into 4 zones.

BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) normal secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan mentioned that it was flawed in charge solely the farmers for the falling underground water ranges. The authorities should keep in mind that earlier than Green Revolution, paddy was by no means the crop of the state. The authorities help of Rs 1,500 for direct seed plantation of paddy was not sufficient. The authorities wants to offer at the very least Rs 10,000 per acre to cowl farmers’ dangers. 

“The authorities has nonetheless not given a assure on the MSP of other crops, together with maize, moong dal and basmati rice,’’ he mentioned.