SKM farmers begin 228-km march to Delhi on August 16

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) (non-political) began its 228-km 'Kisan Bachao Padyatra' from Data Singh Wala village on the Haryana-Punjab border on August 16. The march, led by farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, will have 51 permanent participants walking the entire route, with around 200 additional volunteers accompanying them. The footmarch is scheduled to reach Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on August 29, where a farmers’ panchayat will be held.

The march is organised to protest the proposed India-US trade deal and to demand a legal guarantee for crop procurement at minimum support price (MSP) based on the Swaminathan Commission’s C2+50% formula. The SKM has urged the government to keep agriculture, dairy, poultry and fisheries outside the trade agreement. Meanwhile, news.abplive.com reports that the Jind administration sealed the Haryana-Punjab Khanauri border late on August 15 with five layers of barricading to prevent the march, and police are on high alert.

Dallewal said the march would be completely peaceful and disciplined, and would not disrupt traffic. The route passes through Narwana, Jind, Gohana, Samalkha and the Singhu border before entering Delhi. The march also commemorates farmer Shubham, who died during the earlier agitation at Khanauri.