A faction of farmer unions in Haryana declared on Thursday that they will stage a four-hour blockade of highways on Saturday to protest against the state government’s recent implementation of Aadhaar-based biometric verification for wheat procurement at mandis. In a show of dissent, some farmers participated in symbolic protests, bringing their harvests in bullock carts to ridicule the new requirements for photographing tractors and documenting vehicle numbers.<\/p>\n
The government has initiated a geofencing system around mandis and storage facilities to oversee the movement of crops and vehicles. This is part of a three-tier verification system aimed at preventing paddy from neighboring states from being sold in Haryana markets. State officials assert that the system will verify the crops delivered at procurement centers against those registered by farmers on the government portal, enhancing the reliability of the verification process.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, farmers contend that the procedure has become overly complicated. Suresh Koth, a leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) from Hisar, expressed frustration, stating, \u201cHow many times must we demonstrate that we are legitimate farmers? First, we register on the Meri Fasal-Mera Byora portal, then we wait our turn at the mandi, and upon arrival, we face biometric checks, tractor photos, and countless inquiries. This has turned into a Mahabharat for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the Sadhaura mandi in Yamunanagar, a 70-year-old farmer recounted to former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda how his tractor-trolley had been parked at the gate for three days. \u201cI am old; where can I sleep at night? My tractor is quite old, I lack its documentation, and even my thumb impression could not be verified. What has happened to a farmer\u2019s life when he must endure 36-hour queues?\u201d he lamented.<\/p>\n
Hooda promised him, \u201cWe will work to abolish this biometric verification requirement.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the Julana mandi in Jind, another farmer arrived with his produce in a bullock cart, accompanied by rhythmic drumbeats and chants, labeling the new regulations as a \u201cblack law.\u201d Another farmer echoed similar sentiments, stating, \u201cWe come to the mandis to sell our crops, not to be treated like criminals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mandeep Nathwan, president of the Pagdi Sambhal Jatta Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, confirmed their backing for SKM\u2019s planned blockade on April 11, highlighting the difficulties faced by farmers in the current climate.<\/p>\n
Farmer representatives argue that growers should not be penalized for a scam involving rice millers and officials in 2025, during which gate passes were issued without the actual arrival of paddy. They allege that traders opted to procure cheaper paddy from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at Rs 1,500 per quintal instead of purchasing Haryana-grown paddy at the minimum support price of Rs 2,389, thus defrauding the state\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, in response, accused the opposition of disseminating false information. He noted that, as of April 8, 75 percent of the wheat delivered to mandis had been successfully verified using biometric methods. He added that geofencing had been completed for 416 wheat mandis, 112 mustard mandis, and 179 additional sites, stating that gate passes now necessitate vehicle numbers and photographs, with exceptions made for older or new vehicles.<\/p>\n
Hooda countered these claims, asserting, \u201cRequirements such as portal registration, gate passes, biometric verification, tractor registration numbers, general verification, and the necessity for a guarantor are being imposed without justification. Farmers are being treated like offenders. The government\u2019s intention seems to be to ensnare farmers in this bureaucratic labyrinth to evade the procurement of their crops altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sukhbir Siwach’s comprehensive coverage of farmer protests against three farm laws during 2020-21 garnered significant attention.<\/p>\n
Stay informed with the latest updates – Click here to follow us on Instagram.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A faction of farmer unions in Haryana declared on Thursday that they will stage a four-hour blockade of highways on Saturday to protest against the state government’s recent implementation of Aadhaar-based biometric verification for wheat procurement at mandis. In a show of dissent, some farmers participated in symbolic protests, bringing their harvests in bullock carts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6393,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[77,78,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-chandigarh","category-in-cities","category-india"],"yoast_head":"\n