Shimla, Apr 8
Farmer Union leader Rakesh Tikait today demanded that government must assist the state sugar cane producers to provide them transport subsidy in hilly areas from their farms to markets besides compensating the ryots for menace being cause to their crop due to wild animals.
Addressing peasant massive congregation (mahapanchayat) at Haripur Tohana village near Paontasahib in Sirmaur district, Tikait said that just like the government gives a subsidy to sugar factories for transporting sugar to the ports it must offer a similar arrangement for farmers in Himachal.
There is no sugar mill in Himachal Pradesh and sugar cane producers have to transport
their produce to Uttarakhand sugar mill, Tikait references about the subsidy was being
made in this context.
Tikait who is national spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and a farmer leader from western Uttar Pradesh, was addressing first Farmer protest meeting (kisan mahapanchayat) held by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha in the state.
” The first phase of the andolan is to continue till November-December and if it would be required further we would not bother to intensified it further without returning back to fields and homes ” he stated.
The protesters abide the covid SOPs however would not deter from the protest site even in case of a curfew or a lockdown. “Corona ka baap bhi aega toh bhi dharna khatam nahin hone denge,” he added.
SKM conveners observed that three ‘T’s would help the nation to become victorious – tanks with our soldiers at the China border, tractors of our farmers and Twitter used by the youth”.
He gave clarion call to farmers of this state to leave the hills and come down for the andolan” to save their lands and livelihood.
He said that soon there may be “seed police” to book and arrest farmers for using seeds developed by private companies. Tikait also spoke about the working conditions and low salary of police employees and the pressure faced by print and electronic media employees.
Another farmer leader, Gurnam Singh Chaduni, said that Indian farmers will find it difficult to compete with American farmers if “one world, one market” system comes into force.
He said that soon there may be “seed police” to book and arrest farmers for using seeds developed by private companies. Tikait also spoke about the working conditions and low salary of police employees and the pressure faced by print and electronic media employees.
Another farmer leader, Gurnam Singh Chaduni, said that Indian farmers will find it difficult to compete with American farmers if “one world, one market” system comes into force.
An average American farmers owns thousands of square kilometers of land and gets paid a hefty subsidy by the government while over 80 per cent of Indian farmers own less than 2.5 acres of land, he said.
A thunderstorm on Tuesday night posed a challenge for the organizers by uprooting tents put up at the site.
