Protesting Haryana Farmers Block Highway To Delhi

New Delhi: Not satisfied with the relief announced by the Chief Minister, farmers from Haryana, protesting over not getting a Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the procurement of sunflower crop, today blocked a national highway to Delhi. They took the decision to block traffic on the National Highway 44 at a ‘mahapanchayat’ held in the Pipli village of Kurukshetra district. Traffic has been diverted on the Delhi-Chandigarh route to avoid congestion.

Farm leaders from Haryana, Punjab, UP and other neighbouring states gathered at the Pipli grain market for the ‘MSP Dilao, Kisan Bachao’ mahapanchayat to press their demand.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had on Saturday digitally released Rs 29.13 crore as interim ‘bharpai (relief)’ to 8,528 farmers for sunflower grown on 36,414 acres under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana (BBY) — price difference payment scheme. The state government had earlier this year announced the inclusion of sunflower crop under BBY, a scheme through which it pays a fixed compensation to farmers against produce sold below MSP. The state government is giving ₹ 1,000 per quintal as interim support under the scheme for the sunflower crop sold below the MSP.