Farmers, labourers discuss agricultural issues

Tribune News Service
Amritsar, October 12

Farmers and agricultural labourers held a joint meeting at Chajjalwadi village near here under the banner of Kirti Kisan Union on Saturday. Speaking on the occasion, union’s state president Datar Singh said that while the Central and the state governments were more concerned about big industrial houses, the farmers and farm workers which constitute majority of the population are in debt trap.

The union leaders criticised the Central government for regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP) agreement aimed at free trade policies with foreign countries. “In the absence of any protection by the government, the agriculture sector is already in shambles. With cheap farm produce arriving in bulk from other countries, the local farmer would not be able to survive,” said district president Dhanwant Singh Khatrai Kalan.

The union leaders stated that farm workers too were affected as the income of the farmers had gone down. They also demanded that social security schemes should be provided to the downtrodden without any bias. The union leaders claimed that five marla plots be given to all farm workers living in villages so that they can either use it for residential purposes or rearing milk animals which could supplement their income.