Farm unions to protest postponement of paddy procurement
The Hindu
Punjab CM demands PM’s intervention to begin immediate procurement
The Punjab government and a number of farm unions from Punjab and Haryana have raised objections to the Centre’s decision to postpone procurement of paddy in both States until October 11, citing higher moisture content due to rainfall. The unions have called on farmers to protest the move outside the homes of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) legislators from Saturday.
“The decision to postpone the paddy procurement at the eleventh hour would further lead to resentment amongst the farmers who were already on agitation against the farm laws,” Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi warned, seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to revoke the order. He said that he had personally reviewed the existing arrangements, adding that “these instructions would unnecessarily create confusion and uncertainty in the minds of farmers”.