Ludhiana village prepares sweets, namkeen for protesting farmers at Delhi borders
Dec 06, 2020
Ludhiana (Punjab) [India], December 6 : In a small village of Punjab's Ludhiana, local villagers are busy filling up packets with sweets and snacks prepared from pure desi ghee to be delivered to agitating farmers sitting on the borders of Delhi.
All over Baddowal village, men, women and children in small groups are seen participating in rolling up the laddoos and packing them into cardboard boxes which will be transported to the borders for the farmers.
"We plan to send a total of 300 kilograms of Khoya pinnis (laddoos) and namkeen matthis prepared in pure desi ghee by families in Baddowal village," Lakhbir Singh Badwal of the Namdhari Sangat said.
"I request the government to resolve the farmers' issue at hand at the earliest. We are planning to send approximately three quintals of sweets and namkeens to farmers at border. There are elderly people and children among others who are in the protest and they should not feel hungry in this weather," he said.
Each plastic packet contains two pieces each of laddoo and matthi. These are hand made in the houses of the village itself. 
"We will continue to feed the farmers until the protests get over, we will send more", says a local woman.
Another local said, that people across villages in Punjab are contributing in their own way. He says from Hoshiarpur a neighbouring village almonds as much as 100 kilogram is being sent to the protesting farmers.
The 'Sangat' will bring it to Delhi tomorrow. Badwal said they will try to ensure that the packets of sweets and namkeen reaches farmers at all the seven borders of the national capital.
"Farmers from our village are also participating in the protest and these packets will be sent via tempos. We keep sending them food and other supplies," he said.
The protest by farmers agitating against the Centre's three agriculture laws entered its eleventh day on Sunday with demonstrations in Sant Nirankari Samagam ground in Burari on the outskirts of Delhi and other border areas.
Farmers have been protesting the three agricultural sector bills that were passed in September during the monsoon session. Five rounds of talks with the representatives of the Centre have taken place since October. The farmers have called a nationwide shutdown on December 8.
Leaders of the farmer groups had met representatives of the Centre, led by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Commerce Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Commerce Som Prakash on December 5 for the fifth round of talks to end the deadlock over the new farm laws.
The meeting remained inconclusive, and the Centre announced another meeting on December 9. Agriculture Minister Tomar after the meeting reassured the agitating farmers that the APMCs will not be weakened and MSP will continue as he urged farmer unions to give up their agitation and solve their grievances through talks.
The farmers are protesting against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
