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Farmers hold protest march, ‘table two Bills’ at mock Parliament session in Delhi (Lead)
New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) Thousands of farmers from across the country held a protest march here on Monday and also began a two-day ‘Kisan Mukti Sansad’ or a mock Parliament session where “two Bills” were tabled, on crop loans waiver and remunerative prices for farm produce, to highlight government apathy towards the farming community.
These Bills now will be “passed” on Tuesday as the debate by farmers, activists and political leaders could not be completed on Monday.
Once these Bills are “passed”, they will be sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the government has “failed” to draft such Bills aiming at providing relief and support to farmers.
The protest march organised by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) — an umbrella body of 184 farmers organisations — started from the Ramlila Maidan and ended on Parliament Street near Jantar Mantar.
The AIKSCC alleged that Modi had made a promise to farmers of 50 per cent profit margin during the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign, which he had “forgotten”. It also said the government had failed to address issues such as rising prices of pesticides, fertilisers, fuel.
Owing to the huge participation of farmers across the country, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh should hear them, the farmers said.
“We want Agriculture Minister to visit the Kisan Sansad and hold discussion with farmers,” said Kirankumar Vissa, a farmer activist from Telangana.
Around 15,000-17,000 farmers from 19 states of the country participated in the protest march.
All members in the mock parliamentary session were women, who spoke about their sufferings due to the “wrong and anti-farmer policies” of the government.
Lok Sabha member and farmer leader Raju Shetti “tabled the Bills”, which were then discussed.
“We held a discussion on these Bills today but many are yet to speak. So we will continue it tomorrow. Once the Bills are passed, they will be sent to the Prime Minister,” Shetti said.
Social activist Medha Patkar was designated house Speaker during the mock session.
Criticising the NDA government for “failing” to fulfil its promises, the farmers warned it of repercussions during the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Pooja More, a farmer from Maharashtra, said thousands of farmers had committed suicide as the government had no concern for them.
“There are leaders who make tall claims, but do nothing. The current system is not beneficial to farmers.”
Among the women farmers were about 50 widows from Maharashtra, who said their husbands had to take their own lives owing to crop failure and government apathy in giving any kind of support.
Prabhavati from Karnataka’s Bidar said her brother committed suicide as crop prices fell drastically.
“We grow pulses, grains, and sugar cane on our 10 acres. Despite good yield, we could not even recover the production cost. So, my brother committed suicide,” she said.
Many farmers said they were under tremendous financial burden due to the fall in prices and lack of government help.
There were some farmers who had come with other issues.
Bhim Mangli from Jharkhand’s Dumka said his three acres land was grabbed illegally by a landlord in his village.
“I followed the matter with local authorities but they did not take any action against the powerful landlord. I have come here to attract Centre’s attention,” he said.
Explaining the poor state of farmers’ lives, Ramadevi from Andhra’s Pradesh Anantapur said as many as 30 women from her village were kidnapped and forced to do labour work in Bhiwandi for two years.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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