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Punjab announces Rs 2 lakh to farm suicide hit families
But farmers plan rally and siege of Badal village to press for settlement
WSN Network

CHANDIGARH: Faced with the direct threat by farmers to launch an agitation with unprecedented zeal, resources and determination to jolt a government apathetic to the rising spate of farm suicides and near destitute conditions of the families which went through such a tragedy, the Punjab government finally decided to give financial assistance to victim families. Each of the such families which the loss of a life due to farm indebtedness will be compensated with Rs 2 lakh and all suicide cases will be considered since 2000. For years, the Punjab government shamelessly denied even the fat of the farm suicides in Punjab, and when it did finally conceded that things were bad and suicides were a reality that could well have been avoided if addressed earlier, it messed up the figures.

As a result, estimates of suicides varied so much that the debate seemed unending and the farmer often remained absent from the debate about agricultural crisis.Punjab farmers represented by many organisations have however decided to strike out an agitational approach and will gather outside CM Parkash Singh Badal’s village Badal on March 10 and march for “final settlement” (Karo Niberra). A farmers’ rally at Ludhiana was backed by five organisations representing landless peasants.

The real challenge for the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will come up when the Khet Mazdoor Union and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan group) will hold Communist-style protests at Bathinda on March 5 and then resume the campaign at village Badal on March 10. In the backdrop of the ongoing Assembly session and coming Lok Sabha elections, senior state officials are working overtime to persuade the farmers’ organisations to call off the protests at Bathinda and village Badal.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta) has today reportedly sent a detailed charter of demands again to Chief Secretary R.I. Singh.

4 March 2009
 

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