After the three-hour long meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal failed to bear fruits, the State farmers on Thursday have decided to go ahead with their plans of launching a stir in the Chief Minister’s home ground — Badal village — from January 6.
Resentment has been growing among the cultivators over the non-fulfilment of their demands including compensation for damaged cotton crop, basmati prices, among other things.
The farmer organisations and the farm labourers from across the State, a day before, held a meeting in Barnala and decided to start their protest in Badal village from January 6. To discuss the matter, the Chief Minister had invited the farm organisations for talks.
As the Chief Minister Badal showed “helplessness” and shifted responsibility to the Centre, the “displeased” farmer leaders decided to go ahead with their plans of agitation.
“We are not happy with the outcome of the meeting. Chief Minister has assured to implement the already-accepted demands, but made no commitments on giving Rs 40,000 compensation for damaged cotton crop, nor increasing the basmati prices as compared to that last year’s,” Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) leader Sukhdev Singh Kokri told The Pioneer.
He said that the farmers have decided that they would stick to their plans of starting protest in Badal village from January 6, and a meeting has been called on December 31 to decide on the strategy.
A total of 12 farmers and farm labour unions have met the Chief Minister which was attended by Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Suresh Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Karan Avtar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Jagpal Singh Sandhu, DGP Intelligence Anil Sharma, among other officials.
On the other hand, the state government claimed that the meeting has been successful as the Chief Minister gave slew of assurances to the farmers in regard to their demnads.
Badal, after holding detailed parleys with the representatives of farmers and farm labour unions, assured them to table draft bill on ‘Debt Determination and Settlement’ in the ensuing session of Punjab State Assembly.
The legislation is expected to go a long way in providing much-needed reprieve to the debt-stressed peasantry by regulating the system of private money lending.
On the issue of disbursement of compensation to the cotton pickers in the cotton belt affected by white fly attack, Badal said that the state Revenue Department had already sanctioned and released Rs 64 crore for this purpose to the concerned districts.
The only problem which has caused delay in disbursement of relief to the farm labours was their proper identification for which the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) has been directed to immediately to issue instructions to the Deputy Commissioners to accomplish the complete the task of disbursement within in a month.
As the farmers demanded to do away with the legislation regarding damage to public and private property, Badal cited the Supreme Court’s ruling, while assuring to make amendments as per farmers demand by remaining in Apex Court judgement’s purview.
Badal told the delegation that state government would only proceed to enact Punjab Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Bill, 2014, after having detailed consultations with their representatives.
He asked the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to interact with these representatives designated by the unions of the farmers and farm labourers in this regard.
Besides, he has also asked the Financial Commissioner Cooperation to take up the issue of conversion of loans advanced to the farmers from Cooperative Banks with NABARD to make them affordable in order to reduce the interest burden on account of its conversion from short to medium term loans
Assurance has also been given to compensate the farmers for the loss of crops due to natural calamities as the state government was pro-actively pursuing the case of plot based crop insurance with the Centre for its prompt implementation, whereas now only relief in terms of input purchase was provided under ‘Disaster Management Act, 2005’.
Regarding immediate payment to the cane growers during ongoing crushing season, Badal apprised the delegation that sugar mills would make regular payment to the farmers at Rs 295 per quintal, of which Rs 50 per quintal would be paid directly to the farmers by the state government and remaining Rs 245 per quintal by the sugarcane mills.
Expressing deep concern over rise in the cases of farm suicides, the Chief Minister asked the Revenue Department to open a special cell to process the cases for disbursing compensation in a fast track mode, to the next of the kin of the farmers who ended their lives in distress.