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Farmers’ Protest Cuts Off Delhi

Farmers are protesting over their demands which include “MSP guarantee law” and debt waiver…reports Asian Lite News

Massive security arrangements that were put in place on the borders of the national capital to stop protest by farmers on Tuesday turned into a nightmare for commuters in Delhi. To ensure law and order, Delhi enforced Section 144, restricting entry of tractor trolleys and large assemblies.

Visuals from Delhi’s Gazipur border, Shambhu border and Tikri border showed barricades and barbed wires erected on the roads blocking entry. Similar arrangements are observed at the Singhu border with rows of barricades lining the road.

Multi-layered barricades were placed at borders to restrict the protesting farmers from entering the national capital. Meanwhile, Mohammed Sarfaraz, SP, Patiala city reviewed the security arrangement at Delhi’s Shambhu border.

As per the police, a force of more than 2000 personnel, including CAPF, Crime Branch staff and battalions, are keeping a vigil to maintain law and order and address any untoward incidents.

Ankit Singh, DCP of the North East District on Monday said, “Section 144 is in place. Bringing in tractor trolleys and assemblies is restricted. The Delhi Police and the CAPF are here. We have prepared to seal the border. We will ensure that no one breaks this border. If there is any untoward incident we will seal it completely.”

Meanwhile, the meeting between the farmer union leaders and the government ended in a stalemate with no common ground in sight.

On the meeting, Union Minister Arjun Munda said he remains hopeful of a breakthrough, adding that the Centre wants to arrive at a resolution through dialogue.

Speaking to the reporters here after holding a fresh round of talks with the protesting farmer leaders, the Union Minister informed that while a breakthrough wasn’t achieved, a broad consensus was reached on most of the issues of contention.

Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal and Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda were among the team holding talks with farmer leaders. Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was also present. Farmers are protesting over their demands which include “MSP guarantee law” and debt waiver.

‘Tried our best to find a solution’

Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher on Tuesday said that all efforts were made in the meeting to find a solution to avoid a confrontation with the government adding that they anticipated a positive result.

“We want to present our views before the whole of India that we tried our best in yesterday’s meeting to take some kind of decision so that we can avoid confrontation with the government and we get something that we had hoped for. We can only hope and trust. After doing this, we sat in the meeting for 5 hours,” Pandher said while addressing media in Punjab’s Fatehgarh Sahib.

He alleged that the police are harassing the people in the villages of Haryana and Punjab while expressing concern over the situation in these states.

“We presented the position of Haryana before them that you have turned Haryana into the valley of Kashmir, you are sending police to every village in Haryana. You have sent water cannons to every village of Haryana. Farmers and relatives of every village of Haryana are being harassed,” he said.

“It is being said that your son is doing MBBS, they will not let him do it, the kind of degree your son should get. If your brother is working at home, we will fire him from his job and cancel your passport. Then other types of harassment are also more and more, whatever kind we say, it is more and more. See it seems that Punjab and Haryana are not two states from India but an international border, by what we are seeing now,” Pandher asserted.

The farmer leader rubbished the claims of Congress party’s support to the farmers and labourers adding that the latter is as guilty as the ruling BJP in the plight of the farmers.

“We are the farmers and labourers of the country, whatever is being said in the media, no Congress supports us, we consider Congress as guilty as BJP is guilty. These policies have been brought by Congress, We are not left, CPI, and CPM who ruled Bengal, made 20 mistakes, what kind of revolution came from there in West Bengal, we are not on anyone’s side, we are farmers and labourers,” Pandher said.

“Those who are going to raise their voice are their men, and then we will appeal to our people, whether they are singers of Punjab or the country or intellectuals, NRI brothers, whether it is another civil society that also includes journalists,” he said.

“This is not just our issue, or question, that is definitely in this big movement, it is not just us, this is the demand of 140 crore countrymen,” Pandher added.

The farmers have put forth 12 demands before the central government for which they’re marching to Delhi. The protest this time has been called by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee led by farmer union leaders Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher.

According to the protesting farmers, the centre promised them better crop prices after which they ended the 2021 protest.

ALSO READ-Farmer’s Protest Chokes Capital

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Farmer’s Protest Chokes Capital

Punjab CM Mann expressed hope that discussions will take place in coming times in the larger interests of the farmers and people…reports Asian Lite News

Following the call by three farmer organisations to march to the Parliament, hundreds of farmers of Noida and Greater Noida from around 140 villages in the state came together to protest against the Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Authority, and the Uttar Pradesh government, for allegedly not accepting their demands related to compensation for their land.

Though the farmers had planned to walk up to the Parliament in the Capital, they were stopped by Noida Police at Dalit Prerana Sthal. Following talks with the police and representatives of the Gautam Budha Nagar administration, the stir, which started around 1 pm, was called off after around six hours even as farmers said they will continue their protest at their respective places in Noida and Greater Noida.

Among assurances given to the farmers were formation of a high-powered committee to look into their issues, and a meeting with the police commissioner later in the day.

“A high-powered committee has been formed, where all the farmer issues related to Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Authority will be discussed in detail,” Sukhbir Khalifa of Bharatiya Kisan Parishad, one of the organisations leading the protest, said. The other organisations were Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Sangathan and Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha. The committee would comprise an MP, an MLA, CEOs of all three authorities, NTPC CMD, and the Industrial Development minister.

On the meeting with the police commissioner, Rupesh Verma, district president of Kisan Sabha, said, “The meeting has completely failed and remained inconclusive. In the end, it was decided that another round of meetings with CEOs of three authorities will be held.”

The protest also created a huge traffic jam in the city, especially on the roads leading to Delhi with the police installing barriers at all the borders connecting Noida with the Capital.

A Noida authority official said the demands were discussed in previous meetings and were forwarded to the government.

“The board discussed both the major demands of the farmers, which is 10% developed plot and additional compensation, in its earlier meetings and the proposal has been forwarded to the UP government to take a final call…,” said the official.

Meanwhile, on the personal intervention of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Union government and farmers reached a consensus on Thursday evening over various issues during the first round of deliberations, the state government said.

The meeting was held here and was attended by Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai besides the Chief Minister and representatives of various farmers unions.

An official statement quoting the Chief Minister said during the first round of talks a general consensus emerged on rolling back the cases registered against farmers during the agitation against the repealed farm laws.

He said the deliberations were held in a congenial atmosphere and the Union Ministers gave their in principle approval to sympathetically consider the demands of the farmers. Mann said exemplary punishment was sought against the manufacturers of the spurious seeds so that interests of the food growers are safeguarded, adding the issue of paddy straw burning was also vehemently raised.

The Chief Minister, while presenting the case of the farmers, batted for continuing the minimum support price (MSP) regime on the crops by asserting that it is the need of hour to secure the interests of the farmers.

He said the withdrawal of the MSP is figment of imagination of only the armchair economists, who sit in their cozy offices in the national capital without bothering about the ground realities. Mann said any such move to discontinue the MSP regime will jeopardise the food security of the country and is not in the interest of the nation.

Dwelling on another issue, the Chief Minister also batted for giving major push to the crop diversification in the country as it will be beneficial for the people.

He said the country today imports pulses from countries like Mozambique and others whereas if farmers get remunerative prices then they can produce these pulses here. Mann said this would save the foreign reserves of the country, besides bringing the farmers out of rut of paddy circle thereby saving the precious water in the state.

Thanking the Union government and farmers for coming on table to discuss the issues, the Chief Minister said this is the right platform for solving the issues.

“We too don’t want that agitation should take place on these issues and rather these matters must be sorted out through bilateral dialogue,” he said.

Mann expressed hope that more such discussions will take place in coming times in the larger interests of the farmers and the people.

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IT’S DONE AFTER 400 SESSIONS IN 35 YRS

Another person, Liyaqat Ali, booked in the case was earlier declared an absconder by court…reports Asian Lite News.

Dharampal Singh, 85, has finally been acquitted for want of evidence by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate.

It took him 35 years of a legal battle and more than 400 hearings to prove his innocence. He was booked in 1986 for allegedly making pesticide illegally in his house.

Dharampal Singh, a farmer from Haran village in Shamli district, said after his acquittal, “It feels like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulder.”

His brother, Kunwarpal, was a co-accused but he died five years ago.

Another person, Liyaqat Ali, booked in the case was earlier declared an absconder by court.

“I have lost my reputation, money and mental peace during the long legal battle. It took long to get justice, but now I am happy that truth has prevailed. I would like to thank the honourable court for giving me relief. I have lost a lot of money and time making rounds to court for appearing in nearly 400 hearings in the case,” he told reporters.

In November 1986, Thana Bhawan police booked two brothers, Dharampal and Kunwarpal, and one Liyaqat Ali for allegedly making pesticide without licence. Police had also claimed to have recovered 26 bags of pesticide while they were being loaded into a truck.

The three were booked under various sections of IPC, including section 420, and arrested them. After spending 18 days in jail, the three were released on bail.

ALSO READ-Triumphant farmers start returning home

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FIR nails Union minister’s son for Lakhimpur Kheri deaths

The FIR also alleges that the vehicle of the BJP MP’s son overturned on the side of the road and this caused injuries to several other people present on the side of the road and thereafter Mishra opened fire, escaped from his car, and hid in the nearby sugarcane field…reports Asian Lite News.

The FIR lodged against Ashish Mishra Monu, the son of Union Minister of State for Home, Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’, in connection with the recent violent incident in Lakhimpur Kheri, in which a total of 8 people were killed, accuses the minister’s son of serious charges.

As per the FIR, four of the victims were mowed down by a vehicle allegedly being driven by Ashish Mishra.

The FIR has been filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 302 for murder, 304-A for causing death due to reckless driving, 120-B for criminal conspiracy, 147 for rioting, 279 for rash driving, 338 for causing grievous injuries to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life, along with other sections at the Tikunia police station.

The FIR states that the whole incident was ‘premeditated’ and that the entire ‘conspiracy was hatched by the BJP minister and his son’, who committed the act in a display of ‘hooliganism’. The FIR also mentions 15-20 unnamed persons as accused.

The FIR further read, “The incident took place at around 3 pm when Mishra, along with 15-20 others, who were armed with weapons, came to the protest site in Banbirpur in 3 speeding four-wheelers. Monu Mishra, who was sitting on the left side of his Mahindra Thar vehicle, opened gunfire, mowed down the crowd and went ahead. The firing led to the death of farmer Gurvinder Singh, son of Sukhwinder, a resident of Matronia in Nanpara.”

The FIR also alleges that the vehicle of the BJP MP’s son overturned on the side of the road and this caused injuries to several other people present on the side of the road and thereafter Mishra opened fire, escaped from his car, and hid in the nearby sugarcane field.

The FIR also states that a video has already gone viral on social media, in which the BJP minister could be allegedly seen warning protesters who were opposing the Centre’s three farm laws. In the video, he allegedly asked the protesters to mend their ways.

On October 3, several farmers were holding protests against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to Lakhimpur Kheri, when four protesting farmers were killed after they were mowed down by an SUV.

Allegedly, the SUV was part of the convoy of Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni.

According to legal experts, the FIR has been lodged under the stringent sections of the Indian Penal Code, demanding immediate arrest of the accused. The sections levelled against Ashish Mishra are non-bailable.

The Lakhimpur police, however, have claimed that they were ‘busy’ with the cremations of the bodies of the farmers due to which they did not find time for investigation.

Rahul to visit UP along with Punjab & Chhattisgarh CMs

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he will visit Lucknow and Lakhimpur Kheri along with Chief Ministers of Punjab and Chhattisgarh despite being denied permission by the administration.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday here, Rahul Gandhi said, “Section 144 is not imposed for three people and only three persons will go to meet the bereaved families.”

He said Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi will accompany him to Lucknow and then they will proceed to Lakhimpur Kheri.

Rahul said, “When other political parties are being allowed to go to Lakhimpur Kheri, why the Congress delegation will not be allowed.”

On questions about Priyanka’s detention, he said, “We are trained to raise peoples’ issues and we are not going to deter even on being manhandled.”

The Congress leader alleged that the farmers were being attacked by the government.

The Uttar Pradesh government, late on Tuesday night, denied permission to a Congress delegation led by Rahul Gandhi to visit Lakhimpur Kheri as Section 144 was enforced there after Sunday’s violence.

Earlier, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal had sought permission for the Rahul-led delegation.

In a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Congress said a five-member delegation led by Rahul Gandhi planned to visit the district.

Party sources said that Rahul would also meet sister Priyanka, who has been kept at the PAC guest house in Sitapur since Monday.

She was formally arrested on Tuesday evening and the guest house has been notified as a temporary jail.

Internet services shut in Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur

Internet services were shut down in Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur on Wednesday, following reports that some Congress leaders were on their way to meet party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and also the families of the victims.

Though there was no official communication of the shutdown of services, a senior official said that this had been done as a precautionary measure.

“We will thwart all attempts to create tension in the area. The shutdown may be lifted by evening if no untoward incident takes place,” he said.

It is noteworthy that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to come to Lucknow and then Sitapur to meet Priyanka. However, the state administration has denied him the permission.

ALSO READ-After Sibal, Anand Sharma backs Priyanka

READ MORE-Priyanka Gandhi remains under detention in Sitapur

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Centre will listen to farmers, says Tikait on Bharat Bandh

Tikait further said that no matter how long we have to stretch this protest, “We will not step back.” …reports Asian Lite News.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, who has been leading the farmers’ protest on the outskirts of the national capital for the past 10 months, said that he is certain that Monday’s Bharat Bandh (nationwide shutdown) will compel the Centre to listen to the voice of farmers.

Tikait said, “We are hopeful that this time government will listen to our demands.”

Denying that farmers only from western Uttar Pradesh are participating in this protest, he said, “Farmers from all over India are with us,” adding that this movement is not just restricted to any one region.

Tikait further said that no matter how long we have to stretch this protest, “We will not step back.”

Farmers mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting at Delhi borders against the three contentious farm laws introduced by the Centre almost a year ago. The bills are as follows: Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020.

Having borne the harsh cold, sultry heat, heavy rains, farmers, who have been camping outside of Delhi-Haryana and Delhi-UP border, are ready to stay as long as it is needed. “Ruk jayenge 10 mahine aur (will stay for 10 more months),” said Tikait.

This was the third Bharat Bandh since the three agricultural laws were passed by Parliament.

He also said that the success of Bharat Bandh depends on the media as well. “If they will cover it properly and show everything that has been happening on the ground then this Bharat Bandh will be a success, otherwise not,” Tikait said.

As far as government is concerned, they will say whatever suits their narrative and benefits them the most, the farmer union leader said.

He further said that he does not think that this Bharat Bandh will affect people’s daily life, “People are disturbed with the rising inflation and prices of petrol and diesel. That is bothering them the most. This one-day deal is nothing in comparison to what problems masses have been facing in their daily lives.”

On political parties attempting to grind their own axes in the veil of supporting farmers’ cause, Rakesh said, “This is what political parties do.”

While addressing the farmers and mediapersons, the leader also took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent trip to the United States of America (USA) by saying, “On his US trip he met people there, here we have been asking him to meet us once for so long but he (PM) is not willing to meet us.”

In the afternoon, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Anil Chaudhary visited the protest site at the Ghazipur border to show solidarity with the farmers. He and Rakesh Tikait had a small talk over snacks.

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In a first, Jharkhand farmer adopts US fishing tech

Dubey said that the new technology is being implemented by Sadanand Verma and Subodh Prakash, both residents of Jharkhand’s Giridih…reports Asian Lite News.

Even as the government is focusing on increasing the farmers’ income, a farmer in India’s mineral rich eastern state of Jharkhand is all set to become the first in the country to adopt the “floating raceway technology” of the United States for fishing in existing open ponds.

The new technology for the existing pond fishing has been brought to India by a journalist turned entrepreneur Arvind Dubey, based in Mumbai through his company Superior Aquaculture India Pvt Ltd.

Dubey said that the new technology is being implemented by Sadanand Verma and Subodh Prakash, both residents of Jharkhand’s Giridih.

He said by the month of the August this year, this new system will be installed in the ponds in Giridih.

Explaining the new fishing system, which is called floating raceways (IPRS), Dubey said that for using the new technology a farmer does not need to dig a new pond, as it can be done in the existing pond.

Dubey said that the prime source of the system’s aeration is the pond-water interface coupled with the oxygen production by the pond’s flora, primarily algae.

Explaining the technology, Dubey said that Superior Aquaculture uniquely offers a Superior Floating Raceway System (patented) that can perform all of the standard RAS or Biofloc functions (except perfect temperature control) but in a pond or other waterway.

“The huge volume of water in our systems provides a very forgiving and non-volatile water reserve that continuously flows through the raceway. The system is simple, of low cost, and both financially and environmentally sustainable,” he said.

He explained that it is listed as a best management practice in North America, and Returns on Investments (ROI’s) can often be achieved in less than two years.

Dubey also said that powered by the sun and wind, the system’s pond water is naturally aerated and automatically treated for ammonia.

“Soluble nutrients and carbon dioxide are absorbed by the algae and used to produce omega-3, oxygen and nutritious food. The phytoplankton are then consumed by the zooplankton, and the nutrient laden zooplankton are like a super healthy candy for the fish,” he said.

Dr Jay Warecki, who had developed this technology said, “As there is lot of wastage in fishing today, so we have been able to put up the components together for aquaculture which is very simple.

He said simplicity and being bio friendly is important as we all live together in tighter places with less water that we had 50 years ago. “And it is important that we use that in fishing of saving water. So that is the essence of the programme to be able to present inexpensive solution for the water quality issues that are faced by the aqua culture farmers in places like India, US, Vietnam and Africa,” he said.

He said that solids collected in the raceway’s settling zone have their own well-established value, but can sometimes be “pressed” for enough algae oil to provide 100 per cent of the farm’s energy needs –all from the sun.

“In cases where the host water body might contain higher levels of algae than desired, additional auxiliary equipment such as rotating drum filters, can easily be added,” he said.

Explaining how the technology works, Warecki, who is based in the US said, “Prime purpose of the airlift is to move high quality pond water through the raceway. If the dissolved oxygen (DO) level of the pond regularly becomes lower than desired, the diffuser membrane of the airlift may be easily changed to a smaller bubble diffuser (Large bubbles move water while small bubbles aerate). The diffuser customarily used is of medium size and results in both good aeration and water flow.”

When asked, how much training is required for the farmers, he said, “Not much training is required. A couple of hours will be adequate to get started. The biggest thing is the instruments, to measure the dissolved oxygen and to keep the water flowing through the raceways. And if the oxygen level in the raceway goes low, they need to clean the raceway. There is about three or four problem areas that farmers need to learn.”

Wgen asked about the cost involved in setting up the technology, Dubey said, “It will cost about $25,000 to $30,000 for one model of the raceway system. And it will be installed on the site. We are coming up with the demo model at four cities in India in east, west, south and North India.”

Dubey said that it is not costly like RAS system which is around Rs 1.5 crore and requires new infrastructure. Whereas in the raceway we don’t need any new infrastructure as this will be installed in the existing pond.

He said that in the one hectare pond, 2 system of the model can be installed.

“What we need is good quality water and a depth of eight feet all the time. And if the farmer is an experienced farmer he can get a return of around 20 tonne annually. And if the farmer is an expert then he can get a production of 40 to 50 tonne annually. And this is production per model,” Dubey said.

But we recommend to take 20 tonne initially then depending on his experience he can increase the production, he said.

He also said that second model will be installed in Maharashtra, which will be based on salt water.

Dubey also said that the first model being istalled in Jharkhand will be a fresh water model whereas the second model in Maharashtra will be salt water model.

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