Farmers Movement Archive

Where is the street?

Committed to social causeFarm leader Arsal Singh Sandhu famously known as Master Rasal Singh, president, Border Area Sangharsh Committee, is totally committed to a noble cause. He served in the Education Department from 1962 to 1996 and is known as an encyclopedia when it comes to protests. Soon after joining the department, Sandhu took part in organisational activities in 1964 as teachers were protesting for a pension scheme. That was the time when teachers who retired from the department used kiosk (stall) to sell ink to write on slates and sweet tablets, among others. Sandhu played an active role in the teachers’ movement. He remained active leader of the the Government Teachers’ Union till his retirement. He is one of those rare teachers who protested on February 8, 1978. The then SAD government had given a special annual increment to non-striking teachers. Sandhu said when the strike ended on February 8, 1978 the strike was marked 71.08 per cent which reduced to 40.2 per cent when the government announced to give the special increment. He was sent to jail for 17 days during the Unemployed Teachers’ Union’s agitation in 1980, which lasted for around three months. He still remembers the importance of election of the Government Teachers’ Union held in 1977 after the lifting of the Emergency. It was a direct fight between Rana (Tarlochan Singh Rana) and Dhillon (Ranbir Singh Dhillon) factions. He said the Dhillon group had favoured the Emergency while the Rana group was opposed to it. In the election, teachers expressed their resentment against the Emergency and supported Rana group, which won nine districts, he said. Dhillon won three districts and Gopal Krishan Chatrath, who was associated with the Congress, won Gurdaspur district, he said. Sandhu added that results of the election were broadcasted from the BBC. After his retirement, Sandhu joined kisan movement as district chief of the Zamhoori Kisan Sabha and was given the responsibility to highlight issues and problems of border area’s farmers. He has detailed information farmers, including those having land across the fencing. Despite being 84-year-old, Sandhu is never absent from organisational activities. He actively mobilised farmers to attend farmers’ stir in Delhi.Loan for priority sectorThe district authorities proposed Rs 9,470 crore loan for the priority sector during the current fiscal. Deputy Commissioner Kulwant Singh, besides Jaskirat Singh of NABARD and bank officials, took part in the meeting. The district administration expressed satisfaction over achieving the target of 70 per cent in credit deposit (CD) ratio, which was 60 per cent at the national level. The banks, which earmarked the target of Rs 9,100 crore, could provideRs 4,577 crore. (Contributed by Gurbaxpuri)

The Tribune

2021-07-01