Punjab Cabinet Minister Vijay Inder Singla on Sunday gave a call to the arhtiya (commission agents) community to protest the new draconian farm bills that the Central Government is trying to force down their throat.
“I proudly say that I belong to the Arhtiya community that is the strongest link between the government and the farmers. Arhtiyas are the custodians of anaj mandis (grain markets) which are like places of worship in modern agrarian states. We will be forced to hit the roads if the Central Government does not withdraw these drastic legislations,” said Singla while addressing a meeting of Punjab-wide arhtiyas who had called upon him at his residence in Sangrur.
Singla made an appeal to the Arhtiya community to hold a protest rally in the Parliament street apart from calling a “chakka jam” in the north India in solidarity with the farmers in their protests against the farm bills.
He also appealed them to precisely follow the directions and advisory of Health Department to avert threat of COVID-19 contraction. Singla, the state’s School Education and Public Works Minister, expressed apprehensions that seven lakh people in Punjab will be rendered unemployed and jobless as the new legislations will deliver a deadly blow to the traditional Anaj Mandi system.
He added that Punjab Government would do everything possible to prevent the implementation of these bills as APMC, guarded by arhtiyas, contribute Rs 3700 crore annually to the exchequer.
ARHTIYA ASSOCIATION PASSES RESOLUTION CONDEMNING FARM BILLS, TO LAUNCH MASSIVE PROTESTS
Arhtiya Associations of Punjab on Sunday passed a resolution condemning the drastic farm bills being pushed by the Union Government, while announcing to launch massive protests to vehemently oppose these legislations.
Terming the new farm bills as ‘death warrant’ of the arhtiyas, the community leaders called upon Punjab Cabinet Minister Vijay Inder Singla and reposed their faith in his leadership. The Association declared that it will launch massive protests under Singla’s leadership.
The Arhtiya community appealed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through the resolution, to revoke the new bills as they have changed definition of “trade area”, “traders” and “dispute resolution” which will be a death knell to the traditional Anaj Mandi system.
The resolution has also expressed apprehensions that seven lakh people including 28,000 licensed arhtiyas, their clerks, labour spread across 1860 Anaj Mandis in Punjab will be rendered jobless if the Bill is pushed in its current form.