The Scientific Advisory Committee(SAC) meeting of Krishi Vigyan Kendra(KVK) Lahaul and Spiti-II at Tabo was organised recently. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Ravinder Sharma, Director of Research, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni.

Promote local crops and products: Dr Sharma 

<span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">Chennai: <span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">Kuruvai farmers of Mayladuthurai and other coastal districts of Tamil Nadu are worried that their crops would be lost if the free power subsidy being given now is revoked following the Central Electricity (Amendment ) Bill 2022 tabled in Parliament.
<span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">While speaking to IANS, Madanasamy, a Kurvai farmer at Mayladuthurai said, “We are not certain what is in store for the subsidised electricity power for us Kuruvai farmers. We are dependent largely on groundwater pumping for the water sources for our farming rather than water from Cauvery river. Our crop is from April to August and with groundwater being the main source for our water needs, if the government revokes subsidy, then I fear that our crops would be lost.”&nbsp;
<span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">According to the agriculture department of Tamil Nadu, more than 90 percent of the farming was dependent on groundwater and borewell and for this power is required.
<span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">While speaking to IANS, K.R. Kannan, a farmer said, “We have been cultivating our Kuruvai crop from April to August and Rabi from October to January. If free power is revoked, then we will be forced to totally depend on Cauvery water which will be available only in June. This means our crops are destroyed in the days to come.”
<span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">It may however be noted that the Union government has categorically stated that there won’t be any provisions that affect existing agriculture subsidies.
<span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">Farmers also said that paddy is a crop that requires a regular water supply and if the power subsidy is revoked, then the farmers may have to skip the Kuruvai crop and move ahead towards the Rabi crop depending on river water for irrigation.&nbsp;
—IANS

Kuruvai farmers of Mayladuthurai and other coastal districts of Tamil Nadu are worried that their crops would be lost if the free power subsidy being given now is revoked following the Central Electricity (Amendment ) Bill 2022 tabled in Parliament.

 Paddy farmers in TN worried over revoking free power

New Delhi: Extreme heat in the northwest, Gujarat, Konkan, and Goa could damage wheat and other crops, the India Meteorological Department warned on Monday. The Met office reported that from February 13 the highest temperatures in Gujarat, Rajasthan, the Konkan, Goa, and coastal Karnataka have stayed between 35 and 39 degrees Celsius, or 4 to 9 degrees above average.
Many regions of Saurashtra, Kutch, and southwest Rajasthan have temperatures 6 to 9 degrees Celsius higher than average.
Since February 18, the maximum temperatures in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi have consistently been five to nine degrees Celsius above normal.—Inputs from Agencies

Extreme heat in the northwest, Gujarat, Konkan, and Goa could damage wheat and other crops, the India Meteorological Department warned on Monday. 

Early heat may harm wheat, other crops: IMD

Extreme heat in the northwest, Gujarat, Konkan, and Goa could damage wheat and other crops, the India Meteorological Department warned on Monday.

Hyderabad: Unseasonable rainfall and hailstorms over the past two days caused damage on agricultural crops in various districts of Telangana.
On Sunday, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao issued a directive to the officials asking them to conduct an evaluation of the damages caused to the crops.
The Chief Minister has asked Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari to assess the damage to crops caused by untimely rainfall in the Choppadandi and Karimnagar rural mandal of the Karimnagar district and elsewhere in the state. The Chief Secretary was tasked with contacting the District Collectors to collect information on the extent of the damage to the crops.
Unseasonal rains and hailstorms have ruined crops in several areas of Telangana for the second time this summer.
Meanwhile, Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalar toured some regions of Karimnagar district on Sunday to assess the damage to crops from untimely downpours.
Farmers were encouraged by his promise of full compensation from the KCR government. He said that crop loss was unprecedented in several areas of the district.
The minister has stated that farmers have been handed a second blow before they have had a chance to recuperate from the first calamity.
He said the losses were minimal because the state government had paddy procurement hubs up and running in a timely manner.
Kamalakar promised the afflicted farmers that the government would buy their flooded paddy.
Farmers in the Jangaon district are demanding compensation for crop damage caused by untimely rains, and they have organised a protest on a highway.
Crops on about 2.28 lakh acres were damaged last month due to unseasonable rains and hailstorms. The compensation was proclaimed by the chief minister at the time to be Rs 10,000 per acre.
The Agriculture Department, however, opted to only compensate 1.51 lakh acres after conducting a survey. The sum will be transferred into the bank accounts of 1,30,988 farmers, according to the officials.—Inputs from Agencies

Unseasonable rainfall and hailstorms over the past two days caused damage on agricultural crops in various districts of Telangana

Telangana crops suffer from unseasonal rains again

New Delhi: In a piece of good news for farmers, who are busy sowing Kharif crops presently, a survey has revealed that the country continues to be free of locusts, which had emerged as a grave threat to farm output a couple of years back.
During the routine survey conducted by the Locust Warning Organization-Jodhpur which is under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the country was found free from desert locust activities during the first fortnight of June. Just a solitary mature adult was seen in Surdhana of Rajasthan's Bikaner district on June 13.
A total of 160 spots, mostly in Rajasthan and Gujarat, were covered while conducting the field surveys, the latest bulletin on the locust situation said.
"India is free from gregarious locust activities," the Locust Warning Organization-Jodhpur said.
Breeding of such grasshoppers too was not reported and the presence of locusts is unlikely upto the next fortnight, it said.
Locusts are voracious in nature and are known for their vegetation-destroying abilities and their large-scale presence may potentially threaten food security.
"During Locust Surveys, soil moisture was observed dry at some spots and wet at others. As per rainfall estimation map for 1st decade of June, moderate rainfalls at Jalore, Jodhpur, Phalodi, Bikaner and Suratgarh area whereas, low to moderate rainfalls in other areas except Bhuj. During the surveys, Vegetation was found green/ greening except Jalore, Bhuj, Nagar and few spots of Jodhpur," the bulletin's weather and ecology section said.
Significantly, the locust menace was at its worst in Pakistan in early 2020, when the country declared the menace a national emergency.
At the same time, India too witnessed a large-scale locust incursion in several Indian states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, some parts of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Swarms of locusts were first spotted in India in early April, in the districts of Rajasthan bordering Pakistan. They damaged and destroyed a large portion of crop area but were limited mainly to Rajasthan.
Meanwhile, farmers in India sowed kharif crops across 129.53 lakh hectares, as against 135.64 lakh hectares during the same period last year. Paddy, moong, bajra, maize, groundnut, soyabean, and cotton are some of the major kharif crops.
India has three cropping seasons -- summer, kharif, and rabi.
Crops sown during June-July and harvested in October-November are kharif. Crops that are sown during October and November and the produce harvested from January-March depending on maturity is Rabi. Crops produced between rabi and kharif are summer crops.
—ANI

 In a piece of good news for farmers, who are busy sowing Kharif crops presently, a survey has revealed that the country continues to be free of locusts,

Survey Reveals India Free From Locusts As Farmers Sow Kharif Crops

Ranchi: Officials have warned that a 45 percent rain deficit has caused about 85 percent of the fertile land in Jharkhand to stay fallow during the peak monsoon season, bringing the state closer to a drought-like situation.
As of July 21st, only 4.15 million acres (14.71% of arable land) had been planted with Kharif crops, well below the objective of 28.27 million acres. As of the same date in 2022, official data showed that roughly 20.40 percent of the arable land was under cultivation.—Inputs from Agencies

Officials have warned that a 45 percent rain deficit has caused about 85 percent of the fertile land in Jharkhand to stay fallow during the peak monsoon season, bringing the state closer to a drought-like situation.

Low rainfall pushes Jharkhand towards drought: Officials

Dehradun / Haridwar: Crops sown in over 53,000 hectares in Laksar, Khanpur and Manglaur in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand have been destroyed in the recent floods, the state agriculture minister has said. Uttarakhand’s Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi, who visited more than 35 flood-hit villages of the district on Sunday, said the damage is pegged at around Rs 38 crore as per preliminary estimates. Crops in more than 91,000 hectares of area were sown in the district. Damaged crops include sugarcane, paddy and vegetables, Joshi said, adding that the affected areas will be declared disaster-hit and adequate compensation will be given to farmers, Joshi said. He said apart from the compensation, he will request the chief minister to provide financial assistance from the disaster relief fund to farmers as per central government norms. The Pushkar Singh Dhami government stands with the disaster-hit people and they will be given all possible assistance, Joshi said. There will be a stay of three months on the recovery of agricultural loans from farmers and their demand for interest waiver will also be considered, he said. Chemical effluents from State Infrastructure And Industrial Development Corporation Of Uttarakhand Ltd, which made their way into the fields during the floods, also seem to have damaged the crops, Joshi said, adding that officials have been asked to look into the matter. —PTI

Crops sown in over 53,000 hectares in Laksar, Khanpur and Manglaur in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand

Crops Sown In 53,000 Hectares Destroyed In Recent Floods In Haridwar

New Delhi: Even if global uncertainty and internal disruptions may keep inflationary pressures elevated for the next months, the finance ministry stated on Tuesday that the inflation in food products is likely to be transitory as preemptive steps by the government and the arrival of fresh crops will lower prices.
<a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/'bharat-jodo'-is-deeply-rooted-in-every-indian-no-power-can-suppress-this-voice:-rahul" target="_blank">India News: Bharat Jodo' is deeply rooted in every Indian, no power can suppress this voice: Rahul</a> 
The ministry forecasts that domestic consumption and investment demand will continue to drive GDP moving forward in its July Monthly Economic Review but that increased funding for capital spending by the government in the current fiscal is now leading to crowding in of private investment.
In July 2023, retail inflation measured by the consumer price index reached a 15-month high of 7.44 percent, with increases in the cost of several food items accounting for most of the increase. However, core inflation has remained unchanged at 4.9% for the past 39 months.—Inputs from Agencies

Even if global uncertainty and internal disruptions may keep inflationary pressures elevated for the next months, the finance ministry stated on Tuesday that the inflation in food products is likely to be transitory as preemptive steps by the government and the arrival of fresh crops will lower prices.

Price pressure in food items to be transitory; global uncertainty, domestic disruption to keep inflation elevated: FinMin

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stressed that ‘environment and ecology’ have to be maintained while refusing to pass any urgent directions on the Centre’s application which had sought release of genetically modified (GM) mustard for seed production and testing.   “The environment and ecology has to be maintained.. One year, here or there, does not matter. The environment harm cannot be reversed,” told a bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan to Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, the law officer appearing for the Centre.  ASG Bhati requested that the government may be discharged from the status quo undertaking made earlier in November last year in view of the ensuing sowing season in September and October.
At this, the bench said: “If we discharge you, what remains in the matter?”  She reiterated that the oral undertaking to not release genetically modified (GM) mustard was given in the specific context of the matter being listed for final hearing in the following week.  “This is the final last phase of research after 12 years of research,” she said, clarifying that this is not a commercial release. “We are keen on not missing the sowing season,” urged Bhati.  At this, the bench said: “This is only one season- this year. Next year, there is another season,” and refused to pass any directions on the application filed by the Central government seeking to alter the status quo undertaking.  Advocate Prashant Bhushan opposed the Centre’s application and said that though it is not a commercial release, no environmental trial should be allowed until the whole regulatory system is in place. He apprehended that environmental release could contaminate non-GM crops.  The bench has posted the matter for further hearing on September 26.  Notably, the Centre had submitted an oral undertaking before the apex court, though not formally recorded in court's order, saying that it would not take any precipitative steps on the decision made by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) allowing the environmental release of the GM mustard.  The petitioner, activist Aruna Rodrigues, has opposed the environmental release of genetically modified mustard saying that no one knows about the effect of GM mustard environmental release, which has the potential of contaminating all mustard seeds in the country.  Advocate Prashant Bhushan had pointed out that the apex court's technical expert committee had recommended a moratorium of 10 years on field trials of BT transgenics, and in the final report, recommended an indefinite and complete ban on herbicide-tolerant crops.  On October 25, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee allowed the environmental release of GM mustard for seed production and testing.
—IANS

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stressed that ‘environment and ecology’ have to be maintained while refusing to pass any urgent directions on the Centre’s application which had sought release of genetically modified (GM) mustard for seed production and testing. 

‘Environment, ecology have to be maintained’, SC refuses to pass order on Centre’s plea on GM mustard

New Delhi: August ended with an overall rainfall deficit of 36 per cent, the worst in 122 years, according to a report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), monsoon rainfall during 2023 is expected to be “below normal” or on the lower side of “normal”. This has raised concerns about the yield of kharif crops and sowing in the subsequent rabi season, the report said.
However, IMD said that it would not change its earlier forecast of a “normal” monsoon at 96 per cent (with an error margin of +/-4 per cent) of the long-period average (LPA). The overall rainfall deficit until September 3 stood at 11 per cent below normal, with all the regions receiving below-normal rainfall, barring northwestern India (normal).&nbsp;
Central India (12 per cent below normal), South Peninsula (14 per cent below normal) and the eastern and northeastern regions (18 per cent below normal) have witnessed deficient rainfall, the report said.
Kharif sowing as of September 1 stood at 0.4 per cent higher than last year. The area under paddy cultivation is now 3.7 per cent higher than last year.
However, the area under pulses is still 8.5 per cent lower than last year. Production of jute, cotton and oilseed is also lower. Coarse cereals (1.1 per cent YoY) and sugarcane (7.7 per cent YoY) continue to do well.
Above-normal rainfall in Telangana and Tamil Nadu has led to an improvement in rice sowing. However, deficient rainfall in major rice-producing states (with 66 per cent share in overall rice production) such as West Bengal (15 per cent below normal), Uttar Pradesh (19 per cent below normal), Andhra Pradesh (10 per cent below normal), Chhattisgarh (22 per cent below normal), Bihar (27 per cent below normal), Odisha (15 per cent below normal) and Assam (16 per cent below normal) is a cause for concern.
States with higher irrigation cover, such as Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, will be less impacted.
The deficient monsoon in states (with 64 per cent share), such as Madhya Pradesh (18 per cent below normal), Maharashtra (13 per cent below normal), Uttar Pradesh (19 per cent below normal), Karnataka (20 per cent below normal), Andhra Pradesh (10 per cent below normal) and Jharkhand (38 per cent below normal) is affecting sowing of pulses, the report said.
Lower irrigation cover in major states would affect pulse production more. Inflation in pulses has nearly doubled in the past five months. Deficient rainfall, and consequently lower rice and pulses sowing, have pushed prices higher. Rice constitutes around 4.4 per cent and pulses have a weight of 6 per cent in the overall CPI basket.
As of August 31, water reservoir levels stood at 63 per cent of the live storage capacity. Even though the reservoir levels are lower than last year, they are on par with the previous seven years’ levels. Deficient rainfall would have an impact on groundwater and reservoir levels, which would adversely impact rabi sowing, the report said.&nbsp;
—IANS

August ended with an overall rainfall deficit of 36 per cent, the worst in 122 years, according to a report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services.

August ends with rainfall deficit of 36%, highest in 122 years

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath has demanded that a survey be conducted on the damaged crops, besides compensation to farmers in the wake of deficit rain and infestation by tobacco caterpillars affecting the soybean produce in the state.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
In a letter to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Congress leader has cited information from many districts, including Khargone, Sehore (CM’s home district), Vidisha, Dhar, Neemuch, Harda and Narmadapuram, about extensive damage to soybean crop due to low/delayed rains as well as tobacco caterpillars, despite use of insecticide and pesticide by farmers.
“Farmers are protesting in many districts, demanding immediate survey of damaged crops and subsequent compensation. But no survey has till date been started by the insensitive state government on the ground, which will
prompt the farmers to go for statewide protest,” the letter read.
While addressing a press conference and later a public meeting along with another former CM and present Congress MP Digvijaya Singh in Ashok Nagar district, Kamal Nath claimed that 30 per cent of crop in the Gwalior-Chambal region district too has been damaged by deficient rain.
Soybean, importantly, is among the main Kharif crops of the agrarian state.
MP reportedly is the main contributor to the country’s soybean production.
According to the latest Met Department report, despite the revival of monsoon over the last one week, at least of the 53 districts of the state, are still rain deficient.
The rain-deficient districts are spread across the state, including central MP (among them CM’s home district Sehore and national capital Bhopal), districts of western and southwestern parts, Bundelkhand, Vindhya and
Gwalior-Chambal regions, including Ashok Nagar district, where Nath and Singh were present on Friday.
—IANS

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath has demanded that a survey be conducted on the damaged crops, besides compensation to farmers

Kamal Nath demands survey of crop damaged due to deficit rain

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government on Saturday introduced a special relief package for the farmers affected by the recent flooding caused by the overflowing Narmada River in Bharuch, Narmada, and Vadodara districts between September 16 and September 18.
Previously, the ruling BJP had faced criticism from the opposition, including the Congress and AAP, who accused the party of insensitivity toward the flood-affected residents in low-lying areas, and labeled the situation a "man-made disaster."
Following a report on the estimated damages incurred by standing crops in the three districts due to the river flooding, the government has decided to allocate a special relief package from the state budget, in addition to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), to assist farmers in recovering their losses.
Earlier, Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi pointed out, "Despite heavy rain in Madhya Pradesh and continuous monitoring of water levels in the Narmada dam, SSNNL officials did not release an adequate amount of water on September 15 and 16. Instead, they waited for the dam to overflow on September 17, causing massive flooding downstream."
The relief package will benefit farmers who have suffered a loss of 33 per cent or more in agricultural and horticultural crops during the kharif season 2023-24 in the affected villages, as declared by the district administration, with a maximum cap of two hectares.
For non-irrigated agricultural crops, affected farmers will receive Rs 8,500 per hectare as per SDRF norms. For irrigated agriculture and rainfed horticulture crops, they will receive Rs 8,000, in addition to Rs 17,000 per hectare as per SDRF norms. Perennial crops will receive assistance of Rs 15,000 per hectare, in addition to Rs 22,500 paid as per SDRF norms.
Similarly, for perennial horticultural crops with a loss of 33 per cent or more, farmers will be eligible for assistance of Rs 1,02,500 per hectare.
—IANS

The Gujarat government on Saturday introduced a special relief package for the farmers affected by the recent flooding caused by the overflowing Narmada River

After backlash from Cong & AAP, Gujarat govt unveils relief package for flood-hit farmers

Chandigarh: Haryana authorities have sealed the state's border with Punjab at Shambhu near Ambala district, placing concrete blocks, sandbags, barbed wire and anti-riot vehicles on the road ahead of the farmers' proposed 'Delhi Chalo' march on February 13.
Iron sheets have been installed along the two sides of the road on the Ghaggar flyover to prevent protesters from throwing police barricades off it. Water cannons and Vajra vehicles have been stationed and the Ghaggar river bed below has been dug up. Pedestrians were seen crossing the shallow stream on foot.  Police have also made 'elaborate arrangements' at the state's borders with Punjab in Jind and Fatehabad districts to stop the march. In Fatehabad, concrete blocks and spike strips have been placed on a road in the Jakhal area.  The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had announced the 'Delhi Chalo' march by more than 200 farmers' unions on February 13 to press the Centre into accepting several demands, including the enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
 Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/modified-tractors-to-lead-farmers'-protest-march-intelligence-agencies-alert-police" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/modified-tractors-to-lead-farmers'-protest-march-intelligence-agencies-alert-police</a>&nbsp;
 At the Tohana border in the district, authorities have placed sand-laden containers and concrete barricades and cemented three layers of nails on the road.  In Jind, two roads near the Haryana-Punjab border have been shut for vehicular movement and restrictions imposed on two more roads, a police official said on Sunday.  Apprehending the disturbance of peace because of the proposed march, the Haryana government has suspended mobile internet services and bulk SMS in seven districts -- Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa -- from February 11 to 13.  Amid measures by Haryana authorities to prevent the farmers from heading towards the national capital, the Centre has invited them to hold another meeting to discuss their demands on February 12.  The Haryana Police on Saturday issued a traffic advisory asking commuters to take alternative routes given the restrictions imposed.  In the traffic advisory, police asked commuters going from Chandigarh to Delhi to take alternative routes via Derabassi, Barwala/Ramgarh, Saha, Shahbad, Kurukshetra, or through Panchkula, NH-344 Yamunanagar Indri/Pipli, Karnal.  Similarly, passengers travelling from Delhi to Chandigarh have been asked to reach their destination via Karnal, Indri/Pipli, Yamunanagar, Panchkula, or Kurukshetra, Shahbad, Saha, Barwala, Ramgarh, according to police.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/security-tightened-near-tikri-border-ahead-of-farmers'-'delhi-chalo'-march" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/security-tightened-near-tikri-border-ahead-of-farmers'-'delhi-chalo'-march</a>&nbsp;
The farmers have planned to head to Delhi from the Ambala-Shambhu border, Khanauri-Jind and the Dabwali border.  Ambala and Kaithal districts have imposed section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting the assembly of five or more people.  Police have also been holding meetings with sarpanch of villages and khap panchayats, asking them not to participate in the march.  SKM (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal slammed the Haryana government for making arrangements to stop farmers from going towards Delhi.  "We are ready for talks and will never run away from dialogue," he said.  On one side, talks are going on with the Centre and on the other hand, the state government is creating terror, Dallewal said, adding, "What the Khattar government is doing is unfortunate and condemnable."  He said the government had "promised" a legal guarantee on minimum support price during the stir against the now-repealed farm laws.  The farmer leader said the government had "promised" the withdrawal of cases registered against farmers.  Farmers were forced to move towards Delhi as their demands were not accepted by the Centre.  "Why is the government scared? Huge barricading was being done. Is this democracy," Dallewal asked.  "If the situation turns bad, it will be the responsibility of the Khattar government," he said in a video message.  Besides a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), the farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.  In 2020, a large number of farmers from Punjab and nearby areas of Ambala gathered at the Shambhu border and broke police barriers to march towards Delhi.  The farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, held a year-long protest on Delhi's border points -- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur -- against the three now-repealed farm laws.
—PTI

Haryana tightens security at borders amid farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march. Concrete barricades, anti-riot measures in place.

Haryana seals borders with Punjab to stop farmers' march from entering Delhi; suspends internet in 7 districts

Chandigarh: Farmers protesting at two border points between Punjab and Haryana will resume their 'Dilli Chalo' march on Wednesday after they rejected the Centre's proposal for procuring pulses, maize and cotton at the MSP by government agencies for five years.
Thousands of farmers, who began their march to Delhi on February 13, were stopped at the Haryana border, where they clashed with security personnel. The farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri points between Punjab and Haryana since then.  The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are spearheading the 'Dilli Chalo' march to press the BJP-led Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farm loan waiver.  The last round of talks between the farmers and the government ended past midnight on Sunday when a panel of ministers proposed buying five crops -- moong dal, urad dal, tur dal, maize and cotton -- from farmers at the MSP for five years through central agencies.  The protesting farmer leaders have formally rejected the offer, with Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal saying on Tuesday that it was not in the farmers' interest.  The farmer leaders have held four rounds of talks with Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai on February 8, 12, 15 and 18. The talks have remained inconclusive.  At the Shambhu border point, the farmers have brought excavators in order to make their way through the multi-layered barricades set up by the Haryana security personnel. Some of the farmers are carrying masks to protect themselves from tear-gas shells.  Tight security arrangements are in place at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points.  The Haryana Police has urged its Punjab counterpart to seize bulldozers and other earthmoving equipment from the inter-state border, which they say the protesters will use to break the barricades.
These could pose a threat to the security forces deployed at the border, Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Kapoor has said in an urgent communication to his Punjab counterpart, Gaurav Yadav.  Later, in a communication to senior police officers, the Punjab DGP said no JCB machines and other heavy earthmoving equipment should be allowed to reach the Khanauri and Shambu border points as inputs indicate that the protesters plan to break the barricades and enter Haryana.  "It is reliably learnt that heavy earthmoving equipment, including proclain (digger), JCB etc., that have been further modified/armour-plated have been acquired by protesting farmers and have been deployed at the border locations where the protesters are camping right now," the letter written by the Haryana DGP stated.  "These machines are meant to be used by the protesters to damage the barricades, thereby posing serious danger to the police and paramilitary forces deployed on duty, and are likely to compromise the security scenario in Haryana," it said.  The Haryana government has further extended the ban on mobile internet and bulk text-message services in seven districts by a day till Wednesday in view of the farmers' 'Dilli Chalo' agitation.
These districts are Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa, the government said in an order.  Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar on Tuesday said the farmers are ready to march towards Delhi in a 'peaceful' manner from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points.  He said the farmers have been told to head towards the national capital peacefully.  "We will remain peaceful," Kohar said.  Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said on Tuesday that the Centre should convene a daylong Parliament session to bring a law on the MSP for crops.
Pandher said the farmers have three big demands -- a legal guarantee on the MSP for all crops, the implementation of the 'C2 plus 50 per cent' formula as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission and farm loan waiver.  Besides a legal guarantee on the MSP, the farmers are demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm loan waiver, no hike in the electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and 'justice' for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.
—PTI

Farmers escalate 'Dilli Chalo' protest, reject MSP offer. Tensions rise at Shambhu and Khanauri borders. Security concerns as Haryana enforces internet ban in key districts.

Farmers at Punjab-Haryana border to resume 'Dilli Chalo' march

New Delhi [India]: As protesting farmers are set to resume their march once again to the capital city Delhi, to press for their demands including minimum price guarantees for their crops, the police has increased security at the Punjab and Haryana borders. The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), the two umbrella bodies that are leading the farmers' protests, on March 3 gave a call to farmers from across the country to reach the national capital today.
While the farmers from Punjab and Haryana will continue the agitation at Shambhu and Khanauri border points, the farmers and farm labourers from other states have been asked to reach Delhi today. Their various demands to the central government include a legal guarantee on MSP for crops, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, and no hike in electricity tariffs. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher alleged that the central government was not taking the demand of farmers on Minimum support price seriously.
"They (the centre) should make it clear what they have a stand on MSP. Did they discuss this issue in their last meeting of the ministers' council? If not, it means that the Centre does not intend to give us the guarantee of MSP," he said.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/farmers'-protest:-commuters-must-prepare-for-traffic-jams-say-police-security-mounted" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/farmers'-protest:-commuters-must-prepare-for-traffic-jams-say-police-security-mounted</a>&nbsp;
Coming down heavily at the Centre, Pandher claimed it was responsible for the 'economic loss' in Punjab due to the closure of its border with Haryana in view of the protest. "Government is responsible for economic loss in Punjab due to closures of its border with Haryana. We have to sell our vegetables and other things outside the state, but due to the closure of the borders, we are not able to do so. Will the Centre take responsibility? The Centre has deployed 70,000 Paramilitary forces in Haryana, I just want to ask, what the Centre fears about. What type of danger the Centre is feared with the people of Haryana?" he said. Asserting that the protests launched by cultivators are growing day by day, the farmer leader said, "Today is the 23rd day of the protest launched by KMM and SKM (non-political). An announcement was made earlier that farmers from other states will start marching towards Delhi from today but farmers coming from far-off places will not be able to reach Delhi today. Farmers coming by road or train from Madhya Pradesh, Bihar or Southern India will not reach today, they will take a minimum of 2-3 days. Therefore, the situation would be clear by March 10. Farmers from nearby states have already decided not to move forward." He also accused the government of not paying attention to the demands of the farmers. "The central government is busy with its elections preparations and not giving the attention towards the welfare of the farmers," he said. Notably, the farmers have also called for a four-hour countrywide "rail roko" next week in support of their various demands. The protesting farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and the Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana after their "Delhi Chalo" march was stopped by security personnel on February 13. During the last round of talks, which ended past midnight on February 18, the panel of three Union ministers made an offer to buy five crops -- moong dal, urad dal, tur dal, maize, and cotton -- from farmers at MSP for five years through central agencies. However, the protesting farmers turned down the demand and returned to their protest sites.
—ANI

Protesting farmers intensify demands for MSP, pension, and debt waiver, as tensions rise at Punjab-Haryana borders.

The Hawk

Tag : crops

Promote local crops and products: Dr Sharma

Preeti

Tag : crops

Promote local crops and products: Dr Sharma

Preeti

More about crops