In Captain’s Footsteps: The Quint Listens to Punjab Farmers’ Woes
Captain Amarinder Singh has promised the farmers that he will ensure they get their dues if he is elected.
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The Quint visited the Muktsar anaj mandi (grain market) in Punjab right after the state Congress chief Amarinder Singh concluded his three-day 'Kisan Bus Yatra'. We found out what the farmers have to say after meeting Captain (as Amarinder Singh is popularly called).
Singh's yatra — dotted with Kisan sabhas and Mandi meetings, in addition to road shows — covered over 500 km in seven districts, with a vow to "punish" Badals for allegedly pushing the state's farmers to suicide.
Farmers told Amarinder that without procurement, they were resorting to distress selling of paddy at prices less than the minimum support price of Rs 1,510 per quintal.
Some farmers have even sold it for as low as Rs 1,200 per quintal, they said.
Badal Government's ‘Total Apathy’?
Amarinder alleged the government was merely looking for "excuses" to get out of the procurement process because it did not have money to pay farmers.
"With the government disappearing from the scene, farmers have been forced to resort to distress selling of paddy at rates much lower than the MSP (minimum support price)," he had said a week ago at Dera Baba Nanak, interacting with farmers there on his three-day visit to areas, which fall along the Indo-Pak border.
Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
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