INLD stages dharna for early paddy purchase

Jaswinder Singh Baidwan

Akhran da mureed
Staff member
Seeking early procurement of paddy, INLD workers led by their state party chief Ashok Arora today staged a token dharna outside the office of the market committee at the new grain market, Thanesar.
Ashok Arora said: “The INLD had given an ultimatum to the state government to start procurement on September 21 but to no avail. The weather is uncertain. As farmers are not in a position to keep their harvested produce with them, they are forced to sell their produce at cheaper rates.”
The state government was adamant on its decision to start procurement on October 1 but a huge quantity had already reached the grain markets, Arora added.
The state INLD chief said the Pusa-1509 variety that fetched around Rs 3,000 a quintal last year had to be sold for around Rs 1,200 this year. As the government had fixed the MSP of paddy and not of particular varieties; the government should purchase all those varieties selling below the MSP.
The INLD submitted a memorandum to Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki through SDM Satbir Kundu, seeking directions to the state government to start paddy procurement at the earliest.
BKU burns govt effigy
Meanwhile, the BKU (Charuni) today held a demonstration to press its demands and burnt an effigy of state government outside the residence of Thanesar MLA Subhash Sudha.
BKU chief Gurnam Singh Charuni said in the absence of government purchase, farmers were bearing heavy losses. The government must start procurement at the earliest and fix an MSP for basmati varieties. Their other demands include compensation for cotton farmers after assessing the quantum of loss through a special girdawari and arrangement of canal water for areas falling in the dark zone.
 
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