Farmers set to resume protest; police beef up security at Delhi borders
NEW DELHI : Delhi Police on Tuesday directed security personnel deployed at the city’s Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur border points to stay alert after farmers threatened to resume their protest on Wednesday and march towards the capital. Farmers late on Monday rejected the government’s proposal to buy pulses, maize and cotton crops at guaranteed prices for five years, and announced they would continue with their ‘Delhi chalo’ agitation.
Thousands of members of 200 farmer unions from Punjab under the umbrella body of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) headed for the national capital in tractors and other vehicles as part of their ‘Delhi chalo’ agitation. The farmers have been pressing the Union government to accept their demands such as a legal guarantee on the minimum support price, or MSP, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, and farm debt waiver.
The latest round of farmers’ protest follows muted farm earnings over the past year, during which the government placed export curbs on wheat, rice, sugar and onion, depressing local prices. Farm incomes were hit also because of repeated climate shocks such as heatwaves and uneven rains.
Read more on livemint.com
