GOVT PROVIDES HELP TO FARMER USING DAUGHTERS TO PLOUGH LAND

BHOPAL: Local administration has come out to help the tribal farmer who was seen using his daughters in place of bullocks to till his field in Sehore.

The officials swung into action after photos and videos of the two girls pulling a yoke for weed removal were shared extensively on the social media.

On Sunday evening, they arranged for a pair of bullocks owned by the farmer, Sardar Barela’s, brother to plough the same farm. The mouths of the animals were covered so that they don’t munch on the corn saplings.

Sehore district public relation officer Ashish Sharma told HT that the collector had taken serious note of the incident and all possible efforts were being made to provide help to the poor farmer, who doesn’t own any bullock. District collector Tarun Kumar Pithode told HT that they were examining the incident to see how the administration can help the farmer.

“We will look into all aspects and then decide what sort of help we can provide to him,” Pithode said. After the incident was reported, the local panchayat came up with a ‘panchnama’ (record of observation/report) that claims that three to four days ago, while Barela, was working in the farm, his daughters came there and held the plough that was being used for ‘nidai’ (ploughing for removal of weeds).

The report says that at the same, mediapersons came there and asked the girls to plough. They were asked not to take photographs, but they didn’t oblige, the report says. Interestingly the same report also claims that the farmer has been growing ‘makai’ (corn), paddy and urad (pulses) on the encroached land of the forest department. When asked about Barela growing crops on encroached land of forest department, Pithode said after detailed examination, they will decide whether the farmer can be given a patta for the land.