Academicians join hands to secure future of deceased farmers’ families

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 16

The family of Leela Singh, a marginal farmer from Gharreli village in Bathinda district who lost his life during the ongoing agitation against the three agricultural laws at Delhi border, has received financial help for construction of a house and a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 (until his children become self-dependent), thanks to the Atam Pargas Social Welfare Council, a trust formed by a group of renowned academicians.

The council has been reaching out to families of farmers who died during the farm agitation to provide them succour in this hour of crisis. The council has 25 teams on the ground to conduct surveys and analyse the needs of families of farmers to provide them assistance accordingly.

A team of the council visited Bathinda recently and met 22 families of farmers who lost their lives during the agitation. In total, these teams have reviewed more than 152 families since February 2021 and based on their requirement, assisted 127 families of deceased farmers.

Apart from Leela Singh, many other families

of deceased farmers have received not just financial help, but aid in other measure as well.

Council chairman Dr Varinderpal Singh said: “The affected families are being assisted after thoroughly assessing their circumstances and actual needs. The house of impoverished Leela Singh was in really bad shape with no door and crumbling walls, so we decided to provide all construction material to build a new house for the family. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. Since there is no earning hand, a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 has been started for the family.”

An elated Jaspal Kaur said, “We have started receiving monthly pension and also received first intalment of Rs 1 lakh for the construction of house. Our world had come crashing down after the death of my husband. We were living in utter despair but this help has given us a ray of hope. I am at least relieved of stress of my two daughters’ education.”

Two other affected families in Maur and Talwandi Sabo were provided buffaloes so that they can earn their livelihood. A farmer in Mansa was operated upon an eye. School and college fee of children to their career counseling and even free tuitions are also being given.