Bishop Samantaroy visits grain markets, interacts with farmers

Amritsar, April 27

To express solidarity with the farmers who suffered a loss of crops due to untimely rains and various other issues affecting the agrarian community of Punjab, Dr P K Samantaroy, Bishop, Diocese of Amritsar (DoA), Church of North India (CNI), visited the Gaggomahal and Dogar grain markets here on Wednesday.

The diocese also urged the Punjab Government to prepare a plan for the benefit of the farmers and farm labourers to help them deal with exigencies. During the visit, Bishop Samantaroy interacted with farmers and labourers and offered prayers for them. Talking about the visit, he termed it as a part of the social outreach programme of the diocese.

“Our aim is to reach out to the farming community of Punjab, which is the pivot of the largely agrarian economy of the state. Our farmers work hard day and night to feed not just the entire state, but also the entire country. People across the globe enjoy the fruits of their hard labour. But what does the poor Punjabi farmers get? Virtually nothing!” the Bishop rued.

He said the damage caused to their crops by the untimely rains had added to their woes. “Frequent protests by farmers only point to challenges they face. Meanwhile, the rising cases of suicides by farmers show that they feel abandoned and need someone to support them,” he added.