Farmers Movement Archive

Kin of dead farmers get job letters from new Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi

BATHINDA: Less than a week after the programme to hand over appointment letters to the kin of farmers that died during the ongoing farmer protest was postponed, new Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Sunday started handing over the letters to the kin individually. To start with, the CM handed over the letters to one farmer and a farm labourer’s family at their respective homes in Bathinda district. The jobs have been provided to farm labourer Natha Singh, whose younger brother Sukhpal Singh (30) of Mandi Kalan village had died during the protest on March 31. The second letter was provided to farmer Gurmail Singh of Chauke village as his only son Jashanpreet Singh (18) had died at Tikri border on January 2 this year. Earlier the outgoing CM was to hand over appointment letters to kin of farmers at a state-level function at Barnala on September 20, but he submitted resignation on September 19, the said programme was cancelled. Channi accompanied by deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on his visit to the villages of Bathinda to take stock of the pest attack on cotton crop. He expressed solidarity with the families of the deceased farmers, who lost their lives during agitation against farm laws, and stated the appointment letters to all beneficiaries would be provided soon. Natha Singh said. “As per the announcement made by the state government, we have already got financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh, which is being utilised to rebuilt our dilapidated house, and we have got the job letter.” Reiterating his government’s firm commitment to oppose these anti-farmers laws, Channi said his government would not allow these laws to be implemented in the state and Punjab assembly had already rejected these laws because they were primarily aimed at ruining the farmers just to pursue the vested interests of big industrialists and corporate houses.

The Times of India

2021-09-27

Amritsar