BATHINDA: Two days after
Punjab chief minister
Amarinder Singh announced his government's decision to include farm labourers in the debt waiver scheme, the Punjab state farmers commission on Tuesday held a meeting with various farm labourer organizations and sought their feedback to be incorporated in the agriculture policy.
Punjab state farmers commission chairman Ajay Vir Jakhar confirmed that a meeting of various stake holders, including farm labourers, took place so that feedback was received before the upcoming policy was put before the state government.
Activists of six farm labourer organisations: Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, Zameen
Prapati Sangharsh committee, Dehati Mazdoor Sabha, Pendu Mazdoor Sabha, Kul Hind Khet Mazdoor Union, Khet Mazdoor Sabha on Tuesday met Jakhar and agriculture commissioner
Balwinder Singh Sidhu at Chandigarh. The organisations demanded that farm labourers be made stake holders in the agriculture policy so that they get similar benefits as provided to farmers.
Zora Singh Nasrali, president of the farm labourers' union that held rally for loan waiver at Bathinda on Monday, and general secretary
Lachman Sewewala said we demanded strict implementation of the land ceiling act, distribution of the surplus land among the landless labourers, allotment of part of the village common land to labourers, provision of interest-free loans, waiver of loans similar to what's been provided to farmers, compensation in case of agriculture related accidents, fast-track clearance the farm labourer suicide cases, and easy access to social security schemes, mainly in the field of education and health care.
The commission members asked the labourer organisations to provide written details to the commission within a week.
Jakhar said the upcoming agriculture policy is for livelihood of various sections and the commission was consulting stakeholders to finalise the agriculture policy. "We met labourer organisations and will soon be meeting farmer organisations to get their views. The blue print of the policy will be provided in due course of time to the state government," he added.
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