Government-Corporate Nexus in Paddy Procurement in Punjab and Haryana
In Punjab and Haryana paddy procurement by central agencies like FCI starts from 1 st October , every year . But this time as peasants were getting ready to bring paddy to the markets , central government in a letter declared that it will delay the procurement by 10 days . That means it will start procurement only after 11 th of October . This was a big shock to the peasants of Punjab and Haryana as on the very first day i . e . on 1st Oct , about 1 lakh metric tons of paddy reached the markets of Punjab . It was impossible for them to wait for 10 more days outside because of the prolonged rainy season .
First , government wanted to harass the peasantry of Punjab and Haryana whom they think is the backbone of kisan movement . Second , if procurement is delayed by 10 days or more , peasants shall be forced to sell to private players / Corporates below MSP ; thus , centre can bring Corporates into paddy purchase , through back door , which is one of the main agendas of the three agriculture laws . Third , FCI has written that it shall purchase only 171 lakh metric tons of paddy from Punjab , whereas the production is expected to be around 191 lakh metric tons . It can be easily understood that the centre is preparing ground for the corporates .
Though the government stated the reason for the delay - the moisture content by more than 17 %. Another reason for delaying the purchase is that due to the collapse of APMCs in Bihar and UP , MSP there is just half that of the Punjab and Haryana . Hence dealers there , in collusion with the BJP government , are cheaply procuring the paddy in these states and are smuggling it to Punjab and Haryana to sell to FCI / mandis . But as there was a prolonged rainy season in UP and Bihar , paddy is coming late to these markets . So for the profits of their dealers ’ procurements in Haryana and Punjab are delayed . If
November - 2021 paddy from these states is smuggled as is practice , then FCI purchase quota will be fulfilled much before and large number of peasants from Punjab and Haryana shall be thrown out of procurement process . Who will purchase their grain ? They shall have no option but to surrender their grain to private players at rates much below the MSP . This is what and how government wants to implement its anti-peasant black laws through back door .
After pressure from the peasantry , Punjab government has sealed all its borders to stop interstate movement of paddy by private dealers .
Agitation
Sumyukt Kisan Morcha ( SKM ) took strong notice of these conspiracies of the governments and gave a call to gherao indefinitely at the residences of BJP MLAs and MPs in Haryana and ruling Congress and BJP MLAs and MPs in Punjab . On 2 nd Oct ., peasants took to streets and started gherao ’ of MLAs and MPs . Despite heavy police barricading even the residence of Haryana CM in Karnal was gheraoed . Seeing the upsurge , central government has conceded and announced that it will start procurements from 3 rd Oct . This was a great victory for the united struggle of peasantry .
To add to it , the CM of Haryana exposed his pro-corporate face further through his letter to central minister , Piyush Goyal , wherein he suggests to increase the moisture limit from 17 to 19 percent , but at the same time proposes price reduction of Rs . 100 per quintal if moisture is 20 %, Rs . 200 if it is 21 % and so on , reducing the price with increase in moisture percentage . That means for no fault of theirs , peasants produce is to be purchased much below declared MSP . This is what the government wants and this is how it is doing away with MSP by one or the other excuses . This government-Corporate nexus operating hand in glove , needs to be exposed and fought mercilessly . � from page 26 Visakha Steel Plant ....
tons of oxygen and saved thousands of lives which is to be applauded .
But the pro-fundamentalist , proimperialist , pro-capitalist Modi government wants to surrender the welfare of the people of the nation for the benefit of their masters , the Imperialists and for the benefit of their corporate allies , most importantly Adani and Ambani , rather than the people of the nation who voted for them . After spending crores of rupees flying around the world to attract foreign investment , not a single company came to invest . Establishing a new industry requires thousands of crores of investment . 5 lakh crores is required to build a new Steel Plant . Rather than investing such huge amount , they chose the easiest way , grabbing the readily available industry , loot the Plant and thousands of acres of land cheaply lobbying with the politicians . The working class must repel the fraudulent conspiracies of the government .
With lockdowns and curfews enforced during Covid , people lost jobs and their lives were shattered . Govts ’ have failed to provide medical care to the affected people . Many families sold all their assets and were robbed by corporate hospitals . Many died due to lack of oxygen supply . Govt . utterly failed to take the necessary precautionary measures to supply oxygen .
To add injury to the insult during lockdown , prices of all essential commodities , gas , petrol and diesel were raised , left the people stranded with job losses and struggling to make both ends meet . The state government is burdening the people with house taxes and garbage taxes . Small and medium-sized industries were shut down . Unable to raise capital to operate the industries with limited aid from the banks and raising raw material prices , nil sales of the products led to forced shut down of many industries . As a result , 4.2 lakh workers dependent on these industries lost their jobs . Some Industries reduced the number of employees . These actions of the rulers have created job insecurity in both the organized and unorganized sectors . �
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