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Labour pangs hit hard: SAD MLA Ayali seen harvesting the field himself
The MLA exhorted the youngsters of Punjab, particularly of his constituency, to help their brethren in the harvesting process.
With migrant labourers long gone, all big and small farmers in Punjab can be seen sweating it out in their fields to harvest their wheat crops. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA from Dakha constituency, Manpreet Singh Ayali was no different. The multimillionaire realtor-cum-farmer turned politician was seen harvesting his fields in Dakha area on Sunday.
The MLA exhorted the youngsters of Punjab, particularly of his constituency, to help their brethren in the harvesting process.
Ayali, who was seen using the harvester, urged residents, particularly the elderly in the villages, to involve the youngsters in the harvesting and farming process.
“The entire world is going through a lockdown. Material things such as buying a new car or a motorcycle have taken a back-seat. Everyone wishes that there is enough food to eat in the house. I would urge youngsters, especially those associated with farming, to go out in the field and work. This is the best opportunity God has offered us and we should make the most of it,” said Ayali.
He also advised residents of the villages to strictly follow social distancing measures while harvesting the crops.
The MLA from Dakha also urged farmers not to sit at home after harvesting. “We have to continue working in the field even after harvesting for preparing fodder and transplanting of paddy crop. We should no longer be dependent of labour,” said Ayali.
“Gurus have ranked farming above all the occupations. The first Sikh master Guru Nanak Dev had also carried out farming at Kartarpur Sahib. The lockdown has provided us an opportunity get back to manual labour. Besides, we should also help the farm labour toiling hard in the field,” said Ayali.
He also urged the government to ensure timely disbursal of payment to farmers whose crops have arrived at the mandi.
The Dakha MLA’s appeal has come at a time when Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has predicted acute shortage of labour which could impede the process of sowing of summer vegetables and paddy crops transplantation.
