Punjab Farm Agents 'Arhtiyas' Withdraw Strike After Amarinder Singh's Assurance

The arhtiyas or commission agents withdrew their strike after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh assured them that they would remain an integral part of the procurement system.

A few hours after going on a state-wide strike against the Centre's direction to the state government to transfer the minimum support price of farmers' crops directly to their bank accounts, ''arhtiyas'' in Punjab on Saturday withdrew their strike. The arhtiyas or commission agents withdrew their strike after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh assured them that they would remain an integral part of the procurement system. Earlier during the day, around 40,000 ''arhtiyas'' across the state had gone on strike to protest against the direct benefit transfer (DBT) of the minimum support price (MSP) to farmers for their crops, bypassing them. The decision to call off the strike was taken by ''arhtiyas'' after their leader Vijay Kalra, under the banner of the Federation of Arhtiya Association of Punjab, held a meeting with Punjab Food Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu in Ludhiana.