New Delhi, Feb 9 : Fulfilling his responsibility as an MP, Punjab president of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and party’s chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday raised various issues pertaining to the state farmers in the Lok Sabha. The AAP leader left behind his campaigning for Punjab Assembly election, to raise the issue of sugarcane farmers in Parliament. Mann said that about Rs 1.25 crore of sugarcane farmers for 2020-21 and about Rs 20 crore for 2021-22 have not been paid, due to which farmers are very upset. Since, it takes one year for the sugarcane crop to grow fully, so the family of sugarcane farmers is supported by this money throughout the year. They have to face a lot of problems because of delayed payments and bonuses. He appealed to the government to pay the dues of sugarcane farmers along with interest and said that according to the Sugarcane Act 1996, the payment has to be paid within 14 days of the arrival of sugarcane at the mill. If it is not, then it is to be paid with interest. Therefore the government should follow the law and pay the prices of crops to sugarcane farmers with interest. Apart from sugarcane farmers, he also raised the issue of cotton (Narma) farmers, whose crops were destroyed by pink bollworm, but they have not been compensated till date. Mann again appealed to the government to acknowledge martyred farmers during anti-farm laws agitation and said that 743 farmers lost their lives during the one-year-long farmers’ agitation on the Delhi border. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to withdraw the three farm laws, but did not have a word to offer on the death of farmers. My appeal to the government is that the families of all the farmers, who were martyred in the agitation, should be given proper compensation and the cases registered against the protesting farmers during the agitation should be withdrawn immediately, so that their families can lead a peaceful life.” (UNI)