The draft Seeds Bill gets the big ideas right: universal registration, traceability, real penalties. To work for Punjab, it must get federal plumbing and farmer-facing details sorted.
Debt-burdened farmers cling to paddy even as it drains soil, water, and future prospects. ‘Crop diversification is a nice buzz word but nothing’s done at the policy level.’
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.
Young boys who should be sweating about schoolwork are learning how to corner women. Are we now supposed to add children to the list of people we need to protect ourselves from?
Armenia has procured significant defence equipment from India, including artillery guns, multi-barrel rocket launchers, air defence system, sniper rifles, weapons locating radars, anti-drone weapons.
The key to fighting a war successfully, or even launching it, is a clear objective. That’s an entirely political call. It isn’t emotional or purely military.
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