Scrap farm laws, talk to farmers to find way forward, says Punjab CM

As the nation marked one year of the approval of three farm laws in Lok Sabha, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday demanded immediate scrapping of the legislations by the Centre, calling for detailed discussions with the farmers to find a way forward. Pointing out that many farmers have died in the protests against the three farm laws, the chief minister said it was high time the Central government realised its blunder and withdrew the legislations in the interest of the farmers and the nation.

Singh, wearing a #nofarmers_nofood badge, was inaugurating the third state level virtual Kisan Mela organised by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana. The two-day mela is centred on the theme 'Karie Parali Di Sambhal, Dharti Maa Hove Khushhal' in line with the state government's focus on eliminating stubble burning. Citing 127 amendments in the Constitution, Singh asked why another amendment is not possible to scrap the farm laws.

Calling for immediate revocation of the laws, which he said were detrimental to the interest not just of the agricultural community but the entire country, the chief minister said, "What is happening with the farmers today is extremely sad, given the immense contribution made by them to India's development and progress." Recalling that he had been asked by the Centre to stop Punjab's farmers from going to Delhi last November, Singh said that he had refused point-blank to do so as protest is the democratic right of farmers.

Noting the contribution of Punjab and its farmers to the country's growth, the chief minister said that the state, with only 1.53 per cent of the total geographical area of India, produces about 18 per cent of the country's wheat, 11 per cent paddy, 4.4 per cent cotton and 10 per cent milk. Stressing on the importance of agriculture as the lifeline of Punjab, Singh urged the farmers to take full advantage of PAU's advancements in technologies. Citing Israel's success in the use of drip irrigation for judicious use of the fast-depleting water table, he said that the state's ground water level had been continuously going down and the state's diversification programme was linked to ensure minimal use of water.

The Kisan Mela will witness panel discussions related to crop residue management, the scope of horticultural and forestry crops, natural resource management, livestock production and subsidiary occupations, processing, value addition and FPOs on a virtual platform.