In village after village in the Malwa region, Dalit women have won the right to farm common land. They are now protesting and courting arrest to demand a new casteless settlement: Begumpura.
Farmers have complained of low yield & procurement issues with the Punjab Agricultural University-developed variety. Oppn says govt promoted it without proper yield testing.
According to Punjab Pollution Control Board, the number of farm fire incidents between 15 September and 4 November this year stood at 4,145, compared to 14,173 in same period last year.
Farmers say they've been camping at mandis for 15-20 days with no buyers. Rice mills blame procurement delays on lack of storage space, as warehouses still hold last year’s stock.
A CSTEP report aims to help Punjab meet its 2024 target of consuming 5.96 mn tonnes of rice straw via methods like converting stubble into energy for industries, power plants & brick kilns.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann thanked farmers for accepting the ban and staying away from the water-guzzling paddy variety Pusa-44. But convincing them about the larger public good is a work-in-progress.
Around the world, farmer protests are being dismissed as a new form of ‘culture war by far-right political groups.’ Modi govt should avoid the buildup of such narratives in India.
Haryana police, however, says it has no such information yet about death of a farmer during the confrontation earlier Wednesday at Khanauri between cops and agitating farmers.
While Dallewal was in the headlines Thursday after a comment on putting brakes on PM's popularity, Pandher courted controversy during 2020-21 protest for leading farmers into Delhi.
The opposition leadership has failed to convince farmers that it can get them a model of agrarian reforms that could change their lives. This is reflected in election results.
China flaunted military might & modernisation as it displayed stealth drones, anti-satellite system & cyber warfare contingent during parade to mark victory over Japan in WWII.
From Munir’s point of view, a few bumps here and there is par for the course. He isn’t going to drive his dumper truck to its doom. He wants to use it as a weapon.
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