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BJP government insensitive to plight of farmers: Mehbooba
PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said the BJP government has adopted a hostile attitude towards the farmers across the country and it seems Jammu and Kashmir is no different
PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday strongly criticised the government for not being ‘sensitive’ to the plight of farmers, who recently suffered losses due to hail and snow to their paddy crops and apple produce in Jammu and Kashmir regions.
She was on a visit to RS Pura and Bishnah areas to meet party workers.
“Rice farmers of Jammu and those growing apple and dry fruits in Kashmir have suffered losses in recent rain, hail and snow. They are major contributors in the economy, but it seems that the administration, instead of assessing the damage on the ground, decided the compensation within four walls of their offices,” Mehbooba said.
The administration, it may be stated here, has declared heavy spell of rain and snow on October 23 and 24 as ‘state-specific natural disaster’ under state disaster response fund (SDRF) norms for the purpose of providing relief to the affected farmers.
Jammu, Udhampur, Kishtwar, Reasi, Samba and Kathua in Jammu division and Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian in south Kashmir were the districts covered under the declaration.
“I am told that the government assured peanuts to the farmers of RS Pura, Bishnah, Samba and other plains of Jammu as compensation, where farmers have suffered extensive damage to their standing crops,” said the former CM.
“Sudden change in weather has damaged the crop of farmers and brought them to the verge of starvation but government, I am told, has fixed ₹600 compensation per kanal, which is a humiliation to the farmers,” she added.
She said the BJP government has adopted a hostile attitude towards the farmers across the country and it seems Jammu and Kashmir is no different.
“While they claim to provide free ration to 80 crore people of the country, they seem to miss the point that the one producing this food is the farmer of this country who has been at the receiving end of the anti-farmer policies of this government,” she said in a clear reference to the ongoing protest by the farmers against the three contentious farms laws.
People of J&K will teach a lesson to BJP in next elections: GA Mir
J&K Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Monday said that people of J&K will teach BJP a lesson akin to Himachal Pradesh byelections.
Addressing a rally at Nagrota in Jammu district, he said, the ruling party continue to commit atrocities on the people and all sections of society are great sufferers due to its policies.
Mir said that the BJP has let loose a reign of terror from tax terrorism to all sorts of other anti-poor, anti-farmers, anti-youth and anti-trade policies besides looting the local resources after the arbitrary disbanding and downgrading of historic Dogra state of J&K.
He further that the BJP was offering jobs to outsiders at the expense of local youth thereby increasing unemployment in J&K.
The protest rally was part of Nationwide ‘Jan Jagran Abhiyan’ of the Congress.
He said that a solitary stroke by the people in Himachal Pradesh in recent byelections forced the Modi government to scrap the prices of petrol and diesel.
“People of Jammu have got only toll plazas, privatisation of power and offering of local resources and jobs to outsiders,” he said.
“The people of country, especially J&K, feel cheated by the BJP and would teach a lesson to the ruling party in coming elections, as and when they are held,” he added.
