Farmers Issues

No 'jatha' will march to Delhi on Tuesday: Punjab farmer leader Pandher

Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said no 'jatha' (group) of farmers will resume foot march to Delhi on Tuesday, and accused the Centre of being confused on how the protesters should proceed to the national capital. Pandher said they will decide their next course of action in a meeting of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha on Tuesday. "No 'jatha' will be going tomorrow," Pandher said. Agitating farmers suspended their foot march to Delhi from the Shambhu border on Sunday after some of them sustained injuries in teargas shelling by Haryana security personnel who thwarted yet another attempt by the protesters to cross the Punjab-Haryana border. Addressing the media at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points separately on Monday, Pandher claimed that the BJP-led Centre was "confused" after farmers decided to march on foot to the national capital. "Now Central minister Manohal Lal Khattar is saying farmers should come by other vehicles. When Khattar

Govt in no mood for talks, will march towards Delhi on Sunday: Pandher

Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said on Saturday that they have not received any message from the Centre for talks to address their issues and said a group of 101 farmers will again begin their march to Delhi on December 8. On Friday, protesting farmers suspended their foot march to the national capital for the day after some of them suffered injuries due to tear gas shells fired by security personnel, who stopped them at the Punjab-Haryana border. The farmers have been pressing for various demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP). Addressing the media at Shambhu on the Punjab-Haryana border on Saturday, Pandher said 16 farmers suffered injuries and one of them lost hearing ability because of the teargas shelling by Haryana security personnel. Except four injured farmers, the rest of them have been discharged from hospital, he said, adding, "We have not received any message from the Centre for holding talks. The (Narendra) Modi government is in

Farmers seek low taxes, doubling PM-KISAN amount in pre-budget meet with FM

Farmer representatives and agricultural stakeholders urged the government to provide cheaper long-term credit, implement lower taxes, and double the PM-KISAN income support during a comprehensive pre-budget consultation with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday. The two-hour meeting saw a detailed discussion of proposals, aimed at addressing multiple challenges in the agricultural sector, with key demands focusing on financial relief, market reforms, and strategic investments. Bharat Krishak Samaj Chairman Ajay Vir Jakhar emphasised the need for targeted interventions to boost agricultural productivity and farmer welfare. Primary demands included reducing interest rates on agricultural loans to as low as 1 per cent and increasing the annual PM-KISAN instalment from Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000. Farmers' bodies also strongly advocated for zero-premium crop insurance for small farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Taxation reforms were a critical component of the .

Group of 101 farmers to begin Delhi march from Shambhu border at 1 pm

The march has entered its 297th day and the indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border has entered its 11th day

PM Modi has put farmers' issues at centre stage, says VP Dhankhar

Days after he said farmers in distress and agitating did not augur well for the nation, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put farmers issues at the centre stage. Speaking in the Upper House, he stressed that the issues of farmers have been put at the "centre stage" by the prime minister in every walk of life, be it providing affordable housing, solar power, 'Jal in Har Nal', and technology to farmers. "Therefore, our expectations are bound to be high. It is a time when there is convergence to take the farmer to a greater height," said the chairman. "So I have no doubt what is being done at the moment will get greater momentum and all agencies are converging. Our expectations are high, but our accomplishments are also historic; our achievements are also splendid, and this will go a long way for the nation," he added. Earlier, taking note of the chairman's recent concerns on farmer issues, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda of t

Farmers are in distress, there is a need for introspection: V-P Dhankhar

He asserted that farmers are in distress and resorting to agitations, and this situation does not augur well for overall well-being of the country

Digital Agriculture Mission: Centre asks states to make farmer IDs faster

The Farmer ID will form the core of the 'Farmers' Registry', one of the three registries under the 'Agri Stack' initiative, part of the Centre's Digital Agriculture Mission

Farmers march to Delhi today: What are their demands and routes to avoid

One of the demands of the protesting farmers is a 10 per cent allocation of plots and a 64.7 per cent hike in compensation under the land acquisition law, equivalent to four times the market rate

Farmer leader Dallewal sits on fast-unto-death at Khanauri border

A day after he was discharged from a Ludhiana hospital, Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Saturday sat on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border point to press for the acceptance of farmers' demands. Dallewal replaced Sukhjit Singh Hardojhande, who on Saturday ended his fast-unto-death, which he began on November 26. The decision to end Sukhjit's fast was taken in a meeting of farmer leaders at the border point. Hours before beginning his fast-unto-death on November 26, Dallewal was allegedly forcibly removed from the Khanauri border and taken to a hospital in Ludhiana. He was discharged on Friday evening. Addressing the media at the Khanauri border on Saturday, farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa said Sukhjit was requested to suspend his hunger strike as Dallewal has returned to the protest site where he sat on the fast-unto-death. He said initially, Dallewal was supposed to sit on the fast but the Punjab Police removed him from the protest site, following which Sukhji

Indian Americans develop AI-based app for farmers in Caribbean nations

A group of Indian Americans has developed an app that provides AI-driven insight to farmers for making better farming decisions. Launched at the InvestSmart Caribbean Summit in Washington DC last week, the LetZFarm App is being put to use in the Caribbean Island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It has been developed by Massachusetts-based Abris Inc in collaboration with the Carbon Zero Institute of Trinidad and Tobago. It is a smart agricultural farmer's companion app that helps the farmer through AI-driven insights to make better farming decisions. It helps them from a food security perspective, and also it helps them to combat climate change. That means to adapt to the changing environmental conditions, Priya Samant, CEO and co-founder of Abris Inc, told PTI. Our goal is now to go to different Caribbean nations. We are already in talks with Guyana and other nations, she said. It's a very scalable app. Our roadmap is to make this a one-stop solution for the farmers. This is what we .

T'gana's decision of Rs 500 bonus on fine paddy pushes cultivation by 61%

In a remarkable achievement, fine variety paddy (sanna vadlu) cultivation in Telangana has gone up by 61 per cent to four million acres this kharif season compared to 2.5 million acres during the same period last year, government sources said on Sunday. In a social media post, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy complimented farmers and said for the first time after the formation of Telangana, despite the Kaleshwaram Project not being in a position to store water, paddy was harvested at a record level. The reason for increase in the acreage (fine paddy) is attributed to the Rs 500 bonus per quintal for the fine variety paddy announced by the Congress government in the state as part of its poll promise, sources said. The state government has announced the Rs 500 bonus on the minimum support price (MSP) on the fine variety paddy from this season. As a result, the cultivation area of sanna vadlu has increased by 61 per cent compared to last time, they said. On the other hand, the ...

Farmer organisations SKM, KMM to start fast unto death from Nov 26

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha on Saturday announced that they will intensify their agitation in support of various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP, by observing fast unto death from November 26. Addressing the media here, SKM (non-political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal accused the Centre of not taking any steps to accept their demands. Dallewal said he will begin the fast unto death from November 26 at the Khanauri border point. "From November 26, we will start fast unto death." The farmer leader said the Centre has not held talks with the protesting farmers regarding their demands since February 18. The SKM and the KMM are spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' march by farmers to press the government to accept their demands. The protesting farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, when their march was stopped by the security forces. They are also demanding

Kanda Express: How onion-laden trains impact farmers, consumers, traders

Onion procurement for the first train was done by the National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India Ltd and for the 2nd by National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd

Farmers to get free seeds under new NMEO-Oilseeds initiative: Chouhan

Agri minister said govt would procure farmers' entire production of oilseeds

Fixing minor issues faced by farmers can raise income by 20%: Chouhan

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said addressing seemingly minor issues faced by farmers could increase their income by up to 20 per cent. Meeting members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Independent) as part of his 'direct dialogue' (seedha samvad) initiative launched on September 24, Chouhan discussed various challenges affecting the agricultural sector. Asserting that the service of farmers is the worship of God, Chouhan said: "....These problems may seem small, but solving them can increase farmers' income by 10 to 20 per cent." In the meeting, BKU representatives raised concerns about contaminated factory water and ways to replace burnt transformers in short time, an official statement said. Discussion covered reducing crop costs, ensuring fair prices, and preventing waterlogging. Besides, use of excessive pesticide, its impact on health, and access to government schemes like PM Fasal Bima Yojana were discussed. Quality seeds and pesticides were provid

Govt implements many farmer-friendly policies in first 100 days: Amit Shah

The government has implemented several farmer-friendly policies in its first 100 days of the third term with focus on improving agricultural productivity and exports, Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference on the completion of 100 days of the Modi 3.0 regime, Shah said the government has implemented policies worth Rs 15 lakh crore across 14 sectors. Listing works initiated for the welfare of the farmers, he also said the Modi government has launched the agriculture fund to support startups and rural enterprises, driving agricultural innovation. The minister said the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund has been expanded to enhance agricultural infrastructure and support to farmers, and Rs 14,200 crore has been allocated across seven schemes to improve farmers' lives and livelihoods. The minister highlighted key achievements in the farm sector, including the disbursement of Rs 20,000 crore to 9.3 crore farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman .

Farmers body AIKCC urges state govts to frame comprehensive agri policy

Farmers body All India Kisan Coordination Committee on Wednesday asked state governments to formulate a comprehensive 'agriculture policy' in the interest of farmers and maintain the policy consistency for a minimum period. Farmers body All India Kisan Coordination Committee (AIKCC) discussed the issue during a two-day brainstorming session organised in memory of late Sharad Joshi, a prominent farmers leader and founder of Shetkari Sanghatana. "More than 60 per cent of India's population depends on agriculture for their livelihood, yet many states lack their own agricultural policies, leading to conflicts between the Centre and states on various issues," AIKCC Chairman and former Rajya Sabha MP Bhupinder Singh Mann said in a statement. AIKCC emphasised the importance of maintaining policy consistency for a minimum period to boost agricultural exports and prevent frequent policy changes that harm farmers the most. Binod Anand, Vice Chairman of AIKCC, emphasised the strategic need fo

SC asks Punjab, Haryana govt to persuade farmers to vacate Shambhu border

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would soon form a multi-member panel to amicably resolve the grievances of farmers "for all times" and asked both the Punjab and Haryana governments to persuade the agitators at the Shambhu border between the states to remove their tractors and trollies from the site. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan, which posted the matter for further hearing on September 2, asked the Punjab and Haryana governments to convey to the agitating farmers that the court as well as the two states are concerned about their issues and a forum is being constituted for the redressal of their grievances. "We have suggested to the advocate general and the AAG of Punjab and Haryana respectively to submit the proposed issues, which will be the subject matter of reference for the committee to be constituted by this court," the bench noted in its order. It further said, "We have clarified that the reference to the committee will have a wider ...

UPA govt refused to provide 50% profit on cost to farmers: Agri minister

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said the previous UPA government had refused to provide 50 per cent profit on cost to farmers in the minimum support price for crops, as based on the formula suggested by the M S Swaminathan Commission. During the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Deepender Hooda asked a supplementary question related to the farmers' protests of 2020-21 and said around 750 farmers lost their lives during the agitation. He asked if the government is considering providing jobs to the next of kin of those who lost their lives during the year-long protests at Delhi's borders against three contentious farm laws of the Centre that have since been repealed. Chouhan said the question was not related to the main question, which was on issues faced by farmers. "The government is totally committed to farmers' welfare," he said. The agriculture minister alleged that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had refused to ...

Farmer activist Navdeep Singh walks out of Ambala jail after getting bail

Farmer activist Navdeep Singh walked out of Ambala Central Jail after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail in a case registered in connection with farmers' February 13 'Delhi Chalo' march. He was arrested by Haryana Police from Mohali on March 28 on various charges, including rioting and attempt to murder. Singh was welcomed by farmer leaders as he walked out of jail late on Tuesday night. Earlier, farmer leaders had said that they would gherao the office of the Ambala superintendent of police on Wednesday and Thursday to protest against Singh's arrest. However, they changed the plan after his release. Singh, a native of Jalbera village near Ambala, became famous as the "water cannon man" for climbing atop a police water cannon in November 2020 during the farmers' agitation against the now-repealed farm laws. On February 13, farmers from Punjab led by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha began a march to Delhi to press their demands,