Chandigarh (Punjab): Punjab government is doing all it can to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19 but for Chief Minister Amarinder has a greater challenge at hand.
The process of smooth wheat procurement has started in Punjab from April 15 but neither the government is fully geared up nor the farmers. On the second day of wheat procurement, only one farmer arrived with his wheat stock in Jalandhar food depot, to encourage farmers the mandi board officials were present there to welcome him.
Punjab government has ensured tougher lockdown norms for the farmers as well as the labourers working in the farms. Govt is claiming to have proper arrangements for harvesting and lifting of wheat crops but in reality farmers, owners and even workshop labourers are in dilemma.
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The state government has fixed timing for repairing and fixing of combine machines between 6-10 am, which is proving insufficient. Farmers are not trained to apply for online passes so this is causing the delay in the harvesting. Local leaders are demanding that panchayats should be given rights to issue online passes.
In Tarn Taran, farmers have lost the hope of getting labourers from outside and they have decided to cut the crops own their own but this would prove to be too little and too late. Farmers like Jarnail Singh and Bhagwant Singh are saying that due to corona scare lot of labourers went back to Bihar and even local labourers are finding it difficult to commute.
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They are demanding that state government should bring combine machines from others state and allow labourers to come back so that management of wheat, procurement could be done on time and they don't lose their investment if unseasonal rain happens.
