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Farmers Issues
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of various farmer unions, will hold a demonstration in Delhi in March in support of its various demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price. It was announced by SKM leader Darshan Pal during Kisan Mahapanchayat held in Haryana's Jind. Farmers from various states including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand took part in the Kishan Mahapanchayat on the call of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha. Besides Pal, several farmer leaders, including Rakesh Tikait, Joginder Singh Ugrahan and Harinder Singh Lakhowal attended the gathering. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which had spearheaded a protest against the now-repealed three farm laws, had been demanding a legal guarantee for minimum support price. Their demands also include withdrawal of cases against farmers, pension, debt waiver, sacking of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra whose son is an accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, ..
The Marathwada region of Maharashtra reported 1,023 farmer suicides in 2022, up from 887 in the previous year, an official from the divisional commissioner's office said. The region comprising Jalna, Aurangabad, Parbhani, Hingoli, Nanded, Latur, Osmanabad and Beed districts had recorded one farmer suicide in 2001. So far, 10,431 growers have ended their lives in the region's eight districts since 2001, show figures from the divisional commissionerate. Between 2001 and 2010, the maximum 379 farmer suicides were reported in 2006. In the 2011-2020 decade, the highest number of farmer suicides at 1,133 was reported in 2015, the data showed. Out of the 10,431 farmers who ended their lives since 2001, 7,605 had received aid as per the government norms, an official said. Over the past few years, the region has seen drought-like conditions in some years and excess rain in others, which has compounded the difficulties of crop growers, according to activists and officials. The irrigation .
Several farmer leaders of Punjab on Saturday submitted a memorandum to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, seeking implementation of their various demands including legally guaranteed minimum support price and withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill. On the call of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), representatives of 33 farmer bodies in the state also took out a march to mark the second anniversary of their agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws. However, the farmers, who came in large numbers from across the state, took out the march from Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali till the Chandigarh-Mohali border from where a representative of the Punjab Governor accepted a memorandum on his behalf. A heavy police force was deployed at the Chandigarh-Mohali border, said officials. Later, several farmer leaders including Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Harinder Singh Lakhowal and Harmeet Singh Kadian were taken in a bus by the Chandigarh police to Raj Bhavan in the Union Territory for a ...
Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Friday alleged that the BJP was weakening all political parties using money power so that it can rule the country all alone. He also accused the election officials of tampering with the results in more than 100 Assembly seats during the Uttar Pradesh polls held earlier this year, saying the machinery worked at the behest of the saffron party. Tikait, who was en route to Shrawasti, interacted with the media after stopping his convoy in front of the collectorate here. They (BJP) want to dismantle the entire opposition so that only one party gets to rule the country. They will weaken all political parties using money power, he said in response to a question from reporters during an informal chat. When asked about the Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra' headed by Rahul Gandhi, Tikait said it was the right move to unite the country but it should have been carried out earlier. The entire opposition should come out onto the streets. Or else, in
Farmers on Saturday lifted their over 20-hour blockade of the National Highway-44 at Shahabad here after the government assured them of increasing the ceiling on per acre yield for procuring crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP). Farmers under Haryana Bhartiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) had on Friday blocked the national highway connecting Delhi and Chandigarh, demanding the government to immediately begin paddy procurement. The procurement of Kharif crops, including paddy, in Haryana will start from October 1. Haryana BKU (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said the decision to end the stir was taken after the government agreed to consider procuring 30 quintals of paddy per acre instead of the earlier 22 quintals. "It was decided that the average yield of 30 quintals per acre will be considered for procurement at MSP in the main paddy yielding districts and 28 quintals per acre in other paddy districts," an official said. Chaduni hoped this decision would help the farmers in selling s