AAP launches campaign to support farmers during wheat procurement

Chandigarh, April 8, 2016: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Punjab Kisan & Labour Wing today announced ‘Sadi Mehnat Sada Hak’ campaign to support farmers & laborers during the upcoming wheat procurement season. AAP Kisan & Labour Wing head Capt.Gurbinder Singh Kang along with General Sectary Ahbaab Singh Grewal and Senior Vice President Karanveer Singh Tiwana announced today that AAP volunteers would camp in all major Mandis of the state during the whole procurement season.
Capt. Kang said that AAP volunteers will set up help desks in the Mandis to support farmers & laborers throughout the process. AAP volunteers would provide helpline numbers for all mandis individually. All Kisan and Labour office bearers from Zone In-charges to Sector and Circle level volunteers had been given specific areas of responsibility.
The volunteers have been asked to help farmers wherever required and have been given special training for this purpose. “In this time of overall distress in the agricultural sector AAP will spare no efforts to stand with the farmers who are victims of government apathy and are left at the mercy of unscrupulous elements during this period.” Capt Kang said.
“AAP volunteers will ensure that farmers are given timely services and are not paid less than the declared MSP, as had been the case during the paddy procurement season when farmers were forced to sell their crops at a low price whereas towards the end of the season middlemen made huge profits at the expense of poor farmers.” Capt Kang added.
“The party volunteers would try to cover as many procurement centers as possible and to begin with AAP workers will be present in at least 120 mandis of the state. All state level office bearers and Zone in-charges will be continuously visiting different mandis to help the volunteers with providing support. Specific areas had been assigned to various office bearers for this purpose.” Ahbaab Singh Grewal said.
AAP volunteers would also ensure that farmers and laborers in the mandis are provided with the basic facilities such as clean drinking water, facilities to rest as well as covers for wheat produce lying in the open and adequate security for the produce while farmers waited for their turn. Apart from this AAP volunteers would endeavor to make farmers aware of their rights.
Grewal said that AAP volunteers would stay in the mandis till the process is complete and all the dues of Farmers Labourers and Commission agents had been cleared.
Other farmers’ leaders Rashpal Singh Rai, Gurjeet Singh Gill, Sunny Randhawa, Karamjeet Singh Jatana, Nazar Singh Mashahia and Malwinder Singh were also present on the occasion.