Anju Agnihotri Chaba

Gurpreet Singh Chhina, the president of Majha Kisan-Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Gurdaspur, said they are taking nearly 100 tractors like this to Delhi. The adaptation of the trolley’s role was a bid to save money on transportation, farmer leaders said.

Back in Punjab, farmers supporting the stir agreed, saying that unions will lose credibility if they return without repeal of controversial farm laws.

As the tractor parade in Delhi approaches, farmers have been rushing to get their tractors services before embarking on the journey to the national capital. There are several who have been going ahead with new modifications to their respective tractors.

Vikramdeep Singh Sidhu and his brother Gagndeep Sidhu of Sangrur have got their 1994 model Ford tractor modified. Sidhu said that this tractor was in working condition but with modification now it has become all new and a unique piece.

Punjab farmers also opposed the land acquisition for the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway because the government was not listening to the genuine grievances of the people protesting at Delhi borders.

Not only farm activists, but a large number of youths having no connection with any farm organisation are going to participate in the R-Day parade.

Punjab farmers, who have been at the helm of the agitation at Delhi borders against the Centre’s farm laws, have been called a "pampered lot" and a "major beneficiary of the MSP regime". Is this true?

The book titled ‘Kisan Andolan’, A Folk Management Driven Behaviour, that was released Wednesday talks about how without any formal management training, farmers used rustic wisdom to run a successful movement in harsh conditions.

The letter comes days after the actor-turned-politician said that the farmers “don’t know what they want” as they have “no agenda” and have been instigated by the “vested interests” in the Opposition.

Another factor behind their determination is that despite Centre’s allegations of infiltration of the ‘Khalistanis’ in their movement, the agitation has not been affected. The other big factor is that a narrative has taken hold at the ground that their land is not safe under the new laws.

According to the information, Alpha poultry farm has 20,000 chicks while Royal poultry farm has 50,000. Both the poultry farms supply around 40,000 eggs every day, most of which go to Barwala.

As Punjab gets set to roll out the vaccination drive on Saturday at 59 sites across 22 districts, Shelly says she does not want to remember the difficult time and just focus on getting the vaccine.

That’s a view also echoed by Nirmal Singh Tiwana, a farmer from the same village who sold 21 quintals of the crop, grown on two out of his four-acre holding, to the CCI at the Centre’s MSP.

Along with cancellation of the three farm laws, making MSP legal for all crops is another major demand of the farmers protesting at the Delhi border.

Excited faces return to class, teachers’ work cut out as some still want online lessons

The state has taken up 1.31 lakh works under the scheme in the past 9 months till December 31, 2020 including some spill over works of the last financial year out of which only 19,612 works (around 15 per cent of the total taken up works) could be completed till date.

Since the last week of November, more farmer lives have been lost due to the protest than suicides.

Hoshiarpur police, meanwhile, said that the attempt to murder section has already been withdrawn from the case and a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has already been formed to probe the case.

Most experts agree that MSP for all crops is a must so small farmers and farm labourers get an assured income to fulfil their basic needs.

Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border protest site Friday, representatives of farmer unions said only five per cent of the issues raised by them have so far been discussed in meetings with the government.

“I remember that there two main Kisan Morchas were put up in Chandigarh in 1984 and in 1991 when the gherao of the Governor’s residence was done for 7 days in 1984 and for 15 days in 1991," said Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, General Secretary of Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan).

On March 18, the country’s fourth coronavirus death had been reported from this village of 2,400 — that of a priest who had returned from abroad — setting off alarm bells among officials as Pathlawa is part of Nawanshahr’s NRI belt.

Unless the laws are repealed, there is no scope to discuss pro-farmer changes in mandis and farm processes, the AIKSCC said, adding that the government should not be rigid and indulge in semantics as all processes are in its hands.

On Tuesday, a day after he issued a stern warning to those vandalising mobile towers, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh told The Indian Express, “I have directed police to take action against those vandalising the mobile towers. I will not allow anyone to take law in their hands. The situation is under control now.”