Latest news with #SKM
Barnama
12 hours ago
- Business
- Barnama
HKN 2025 Records Over RM1 Mln In Sales
MELAKA, July 29 (Bernama) -- The National Cooperative Day (HKN) 2025 celebration, held over three days from Friday to Sunday, recorded sales amounting to RM1,099,862.55. The Cooperative Commission of Malaysia (SKM) said the event, themed 'Cooperatives Empowering Communities, Building a MADANI Nation', also recorded potential sales of over RM21 million, reflecting a significant economic impact on the local cooperative ecosystem. It said the celebration drew 58,114 visitors, surpassing the initial target of 50,000, demonstrating strong public support for government initiatives to promote cooperatives through community-focused programmes, particularly for the B40 group.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Policy reunites Punjab farmers, tractor rally to set the tone
Bathinda: Having lost momentum after Punjab Police forcibly removed their protests at Shambhu and Khanauri borders with Haryana, farm groups and individual farmers are joining hands again in Punjab — all thanks to the contentious land pooling policy introduced by the AAP govt. Fearing that the policy means they could lose their land, farmers and even those not associated with unions are turning to farm groups to lead the opposition to the policy that envisions state govt taking possession of land by paying Rs 1 lakh a year and developing it into a residential-commercial zone, and returning booths and residential plots to the landowner. The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) — which had spearheaded the 2020-2021 farm stir on the borders of Delhi — has also okayed the decision of its Punjab chapter to hold tractor marches on July 30 in villages which could be affected by the policy. A call for support to the protest by the national committee of the farm forum Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) has also emboldened the SKM and farmers. Farmers have already started installing flex boards warning Aam Aadmi Party leaders and govt officials from entering their land to promote the policy. Many villages have started coming up with resolutions against the scheme, and it has been learnt that opposition has reached over 100 villages in the state. Though the biggest chunk of land is to be collected in Ludhiana district, small tracts have been identified in Bathinda, Moga, and Ferozepur districts too. In Bathinda, farmers in three villages — Jodhpur Romana, Naruana, and Patti Jhuttika — have already sounded a bugle of protest as 848 acres of land has been identified there under the policy. In Jodhpur Romana, the identified land is nearly 600 acres. Farmers from Jodhpur Romana village attended a meeting convened by farm organisations affiliated with SKM on Saturday and announced their plan to agitate and participate in tractor marches on July 30. Apart from tractor marches by SKM, some other organisations have decided to hold protests at DC offices on July 31. On that day, farm leader Balbir Singh Rajewal is scheduled to address a gathering on land pooling at Lehragaga in Sangrur. "We are determined to oppose the land pooling scheme and do not want to part with our fertile lands. We will go to any length to stop our land from being taken forcibly, and for this, we have approached farmer organisations," said Jodhpur Romana farmers Karnail Singh and Balwant Singh in the presence of farmer organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) secretary Shingara Singh Mann. MSID:: 122934588 413 |
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Opposition to Punjab's land-pooling policy brings together farmers
Opposition to Punjab's land-pooling policy brings together farmers BATHINDA: Resistance to AAP-led Punjab government's land-pooling policy is acting as the glue to bring together fractured farm organisations and individual farmers beyond political affiliation, reports Neel Kamal. It appears to be rekindling farm struggles that seemed to be losing momentum - seeing that there was not much hue and cry after Punjab Police slammed shut the protests at Shambhu and Khanauri borders with Haryana. The Bhagwant Mann government has been trying to convince people that land-pooling scheme was beneficial to farmers but it hasn't been able to dispel farmers' apprehension of losing land. Individual farmers from villages where land is being 'pooled' - those so far not associated with farm organisations - are now turning towards them to oppose the scheme. The policy aims to pool over 40,000 acres of farmland to promote planned urban development. It's a land-for-land scheme, where landowners voluntarily give up land and are given developed residential and commercial plots in exchange. SKM's green light to its Punjab chapter to hold tractor rallies on July 30 in villages that are likely to be brought under land-pooling scheme has come as a boost to forces opposing the scheme. The national committee of KMM has also backed the SKM call, further emboldening resistance.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Posters banning entry of AAP leaders appear in Ludhiana villages
In a sharp escalation of protests against the Punjab government's land pooling policy, villagers from Malak, Aligarh, Pona, and Agwar Gujaran in Jagraon constituency, Ludhiana district, have banned the entry of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders into their villages. On Sunday evening, flex posters in Punjabi were pasted at the entrance roads of all four villages. Featuring photos of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, the posters read: 'Bhagwant Mann Bhajao, Punjab Bachao' and 'Kejriwal Bhajao, Zamin Bachao' and declared: 'There is a strict ban on the entry of any AAP leader into the village until the land pooling policy is revoked.' Issued in the name of the 'Zamin Bachao, Punjab Bachao Sangharsh Committee', the posters reflect growing grassroots anger against the government's urban development plans. Villagers said the move follows weeks of village meetings, protest rallies, and warnings to AAP leaders not to promote the contentious policy. Didar Singh of Malak village said, 'We had passed a resolution against land pooling and submitted it to the GLADA office. Now the time has come to intensify our protest. This struggle must be fought from our villages—not at Delhi borders or elsewhere.' Nirbhai Singh, former sarpanch of Aligarh, added, 'The message is loud and clear—no AAP leader is welcome anymore.' Residents also said AAP supporters in these villages have been warned not to promote the scheme. The land pooling policy seeks to acquire over 65,000 acres across 164 villages, including more than 24,000 acres in Ludhiana district. Farmers fear permanent loss of ancestral lands and livelihoods, fuelling protests in agriculturally rich areas. Statewide agitation is set to intensify, with Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) Punjab and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) planning tractor marches at village and tehsil levels on July 30, a motorcycle rally by KMM on August 11, and mahapanchayats in Jalandhar (August 20) and Mullanpur (August 24). SKM (Non-Political) will hold a separate protest in Faridkot on August 7. Manjit Singh Rai, president of BKU Doaba, said similar posters will soon appear in Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar. 'Several gram sabhas have passed resolutions declaring that no one can dare acquire their land,' he said. The ban recalls the 2020–21 agitation, when BJP leaders were barred from villages during the farm laws protests. Farmer unions had accused the Centre of repression and excessive force at protest sites like Shambhu and Khanauri, where Shubhkaran Singh was killed and dozens injured. 'The defiant move by these Ludhiana villages suggests a deepening rural backlash against policies seen as threatening land ownership and farmer autonomy,' said Harinder Singh Lakhowal, president of BKU Lakhowal. 'Hundreds of farmers gathered in Bhaini Sahib area of Ludhiana on Sunday afternoon to protest the scheme.'
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
New cooperative policy centralises power and snatches rights of State governments, says Samyukt Kisan Morcha
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a platform of several farmers' organisations, has alleged on Sunday (July 27, 2025) that the National Cooperation Policy (NCP), unveiled by Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah on Friday, violates the Constitution of India, centralises power and snatches rights of State governments. In a statement issued here on Sunday, the SKM said the policy lacks the perspective to protect rights of farmers and workers on livelihood, minimum support price, minimum wage and sharing of surplus. The SKM alleged that the new policy is aimed at seizing people's resources, and making cooperatives serve corporate interests and it urged the political parties and State governments to fight the attack on cooperative federalism to protect the Indian Union. 'As per the Constitution of India. Cooperative Societies come under entry 32 of the State list [list II] of the seventh schedule. The Supreme Court ruling on 97th Amendment IXB of the Constitution has categorically said 97th amendment is unconstitutional in so far as it pertains to cooperative societies operating within a single State. The court found that that part of the amendment required ratification by at least half of the State legislatures as per article 368(2) of the Constitution which was not done,' the SKM said. Attack on rights Maintaining that none of the mainstream media has pointed out such violation of the Constitution of India by the Narendra Modi Government and the Union Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, the SKM alleged that the media justified the planned, dangerous attack on the rights and livelihood of the people as assured by the Constitution. 'The Union Cooperative Ministry is applicable only to the Union Territories and the Multi-State Cooperative Societies. In the true spirit, the Multi-State Cooperative Societies also violate the Constitutional provisions regarding cooperative societies. Such efforts are aimed at seizure of people's resources by the ruling class parties, especially the BJP-RSS. The trend of centralisation of power needs to be vehemently resisted by the people especially peasantry, working class and all other sections in trade, services and manufacturing facing the brunt of corporate domination and exploitation,' the SKM said. The SKM said there is no provision in the new policy to ensure modernisation of agriculture and develop agro based industries and cooperative marketing networks. 'The policy does not contain the concept of producer and consumer cooperatives, collective and cooperative farming to reap the advantage of economies of scale such as reduction in cost of production and leverage of enhancing production and productivity with the support of science and advanced technology thus ensuring generation of employment and remunerative income to overcome the agrarian crisis. Thus the NCP 2025 fails to come up with meaningful proposals for modernisation of agriculture, industry and services,' the SKM said. 'Corporate sector will dictate prices' The SKM said once the domination of agribusiness over agriculture and rural resources is completed, the corporate sector will dictate the market and prices and let loose exploitation on the entire working people across the country. 'If the BJP and RSS leadership is sincere for development of the farmers, workers and marginalised sections, they should insist the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister to rather empower the State governments based on the perspective of cooperative federalism and provide 50% of the resources of the Union Government to support State governments and modernise cooperative societies across India. The corporate forces should not be allowed to enter agriculture and agro based industries and markets and Union and the State governments have to regulate the private sector to ensure minimum wage to workers and minimum support price to farmers,' the SKM statement added. The NCP 2025 if implemented will infringe on the rights of the State governments and facilitate corporate takeover of agriculture, horticulture, dairy and fisheries sectors. The SKM demands all the political parties and State governments to oppose the NCP 2025 and fight the attack on cooperative federalism in order to protect the Indian Union and the interests of the entire working people, the statement added.
