Chandigarh, Oct 15 Congress leader and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja on Thursday said the BJP government in Haryana, which promised to double farmers’ income, is now forcing farmers to struggle to sell their produce.
“Farmers are being harassed in the name of portals, technical glitches and procurement arrangements,” she claimed, adding that “the farming community is bearing the consequences of the BJP government’s anti-farmer policies”.
The former Union minister said in a statement that paddy and cotton continue to arrive at mandis across Haryana, “but the lack of adequate sheds, tarpaulins, drainage facilities and arrangements for lifting the produce are causing the farmers’ hard-earned income to go to waste”.
Referring to that rain that lashed many parts of Haryana this week, Selja said crops have been soaked by rain at several mandis, causing losses worth lakhs of rupees to the farmers.
The market committees, despite earning crores of rupees, have failed to protect the produce, she alleged.
Selja also claimed that the Congress always supported fair prices for farmers and a simple procurement system.
“The government should remove unnecessary portal requirements and ensure timely procurement of farmers’ produce,” she said.
The senior Congress leader also demanded an immediate survey of rain-damaged crops, compensation for affected farmers, better facilities in mandis and timely payments.
“Providing relief to the farmers is the government’s responsibility, not a favour,” she said.
(PTI News)
