SARC calls Sindh Govt to address farmers’ issues

Karachi:

The Sindh Georgian Research Council (SARC), representing small farmers and farmers, welcomed the initiatives taken by the Sindh government under chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. However, it has also raised urgent concerns about the challenges facing small growers, calling for immediate government intervention, according to a statement released on Saturday.

SARC stressed the need for subsidies in solar tube wells and agricultural tools for small growers holding 10-25 acres of land. The statement emphasized that these farmers are often excluded from such benefits due to favoritism, political relations or lack of access to agricultural officials.

Appreciating the government’s initiative to issue Kissan cards to farmers, SARC has expressed serious concern about the lack of a suitable census of farmers. Without accurate data, he warned, the detection of beneficiaries for the Kissan card would be problematic. SARC urged the Sindh government to address this issue, referring to the Supreme Court’s Supreme Court in PLD 202 Sindh 284 (Ghulam Ali against Sindh province and others). The decision called on the government to conduct a census of farmers, to provide health insurance, housing rights, freedom from linked work and protection of leasing rights. However, the Sindh government has questioned this ruling in the Supreme Court instead of applying it.

SARC criticized the delay in withdrawing the appeal against the High Court decision, stating that this has stopped the application of the Sindh 1950 lease law and its amendments. Farmers and farmers have repeatedly resorted to withdrawal of this challenge, but their demands remain unanswered. SARC stressed that if the government falls on its call, it would be regarded as a Pro-Farmer move, gaining appreciation from civil society and benefiting the agricultural sector.

The statement also noted that in October 2019, the Sindh Supreme Court destroyed Article 6 of the 2013 Sindh Lease Act, which removed the beggar’s ban (unpaid work). Instead of imposing this pre-establishment decision, the Sindh government continues to challenge it.

SARC also expressed concerns about non -compliance with the laws on minimal salaries, serious water deficiencies affecting small growers, ineffective vigilance committees that have watched the committed work, and the lack of staff are no longer published. The statement further criticized the vigilance committees, noting that no connected work has been identified in two decades. All versions of the farmers have been secured through judicial orders in accordance with Article 491 of the CRPC or Article 199 of the Constitution.