BATHINDA: The only gram panchayat of Punjab to have offered compensation to farmers for not burning paddy stubble has decided to return two national awards conferred on it show solidarity with farmers. The panchayat of Ransih Kalan village in Moga district has announced that it will give up the awards it got for not burning stubble and carrying out development works to oppose the three contentious central farm laws. The sarpanch Kuldeep Kaur's son, Preet Inder Pal Singh, reached the Delhi border on Wednesday evening with the two national prizes, Panchayat Shashaktikaran puraskar and Gaurav Gram Sabha puraskar, to return these.
Two months back, the gram panchayat had announced compensation of Rs 2,500 per acre for marginal farmers who would not burn stubble. Preet Inder said that they were pained by the central government enacting the antifarmer agri-laws and not repealing these despite the farmers’ protests.