Farmers Movement Archive

‘Tough steps won’t help, give us machinery & financial aid’

BATHINDA: The Supreme Court, National Green Tribunal, and the Union government have all tried and failed to reduce field fires in Punjab and Haryana. The defiance is rather most pronounced in four years. Engaged in fighting three new agri-marketing laws, the farmers also insist on burning paddy stubble till they have a viable alternative. Punjab’s tillers are angry over the unpaid Rs 2,500 an acre for last year’s restraint apart from no new budget for compensation, while Haryana has kept Rs 300 crore for the purpose. On Friday, the Supreme Court appointed retired justice Madan B Lokur to find ways to reducing the straw fires of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. The chief secretaries of these states will help the committee file a report in 15 days. On Thursday, the central government had decided to send 50 teams to these states to stop the blazes. Farm unionist Resham Singh Yatri of the Bharti Kisan Union (BKU) Ekta Sidhupur said: “Whatever measures the governments or the courts may adopt, stubble fires will rage until farmers are compensated duly. Neither fines nor red entries in land records will work. The only solution is to win over the farmers with money.” BKU Ekta Ugrahan state secretary Shingara Singh Mann said: “The farmers want Rs 200 a quintal as bonus or Rs 4,000 per acre as compensation. Rent-free crop residue management (CRM) machinery is meaningless without affordable tractors and diesel. Lasting solutions ought to be more serious.” On November 27, 2019, the state farmers’ commission had a panel discussion with the tillers and other stakeholders. Even at that time the farmers had suggested paying compensation, giving CRM to those tilling less than 10 acres, removing fines, building stronger marketing network and minimum support price (MSP) system for alternative crops, and no more villainising farmers or making red entries into land records. “Not much has been done on these ideas,” said BKU Ugrahan president Joginder Singh.

The Times of India

2020-10-17

Amritsar