Farmers begin week-long Chandigarh-Mohali protest over pending demands; traffic curbs in place
PTC News Desk: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has announced a week-long pakka morcha starting from September 1 to 7 with farmers staging a sit in protest on the Mohali-Chandigarh connecting road against their pending demands including MSP.
The main issue against which the farmers have raised objections is the free trade agreement with the US.
The agitation holds significant reverence in view of the several demands directed at the Centre while others concern the Punjab Government and the state’s long-standing dispute over water and its rights within the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). What are the farmers demanding?
Legal Guarantee for MSP
One of the main demands of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) is a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) on all crops. Farmers want MSP to be calculated using the Swaminathan Commission’s C2 50 formula. They are demanding a legally enforceable price system instead of MSP being only an announced support price.
Punjab’s Water Rights
Punjab’s water rights are another major issue. The SKM wants earlier agreements on the sharing of Punjab’s river waters to be cancelled and has demanded a special session of the Punjab Assembly to discuss the matter.
Complete Farm and Farm Labour Debt Waiver
The SKM is demanding a complete waiver of loans taken by both farmers and agricultural labourers. Farmer groups say debt affects not only land-owning farmers but also farm workers and other rural families dependent on agriculture.
Opposition to Free Trade Agreements
Farmers are opposing proposed free-trade agreements with the US and European countries. They fear that cheaper agricultural imports could reduce crop prices in India and make it harder for Indian farmers to compete.
Sugarcane Price
The farmers are demanding that the price of sugarcane be fixed at Rs 500 per quintal. They also want private sugar mills to make payments through a single counter, similar to the system followed by cooperative sugar mills.
₹10,000 Monthly Pension
Farmers are seeking a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 for farmers, agricultural labourers and rural artisans. The demand aims to provide wider social security to people who depend on the rural economy.
- PTC NEWS
