Panghal appeals for farm aid

NEW DELHI: For India’s Asian Games gold-winning boxer Amit Panghal, the lockdown hasn’t been about just staying fit and spending time with family, it has also opened his eyes to the plight of “distraught” farmers in his village and he is appealing for government help. The 24-year-old, who hails from Mayna village, five km from Rohtak, says, “My village and 13 nearby villages have been affected by hailstorm and unseasonal rains that have destroyed crops.

“I have never seen misery like this. Some farmers have not even got enough yield to sustain themselves, forget about harvest for sale,” says India’s first silvermedallist at the Worlds.

“I appeal to the Haryana government to help these people. They are desperate,” said the flyweight 52kg boxer, who is also a Commonwealth Games silvermedallist. Farmers in Rohtak have been demanding compensation and a survey has been conducted by the state government to assess the damage. However, no payments have been made, according to media reports quoting local officials.

Panghal had posted his appeal on Twitter, tagging Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. “There has been no response so far but I am hopeful of help. The hailstorm in March has destroyed the farmers. They don’t have anything to fall back on. They won’t be left with any food also if help doesn’t come. Our family’s crops were also affected but we are fine...but the people I am talking about are in dire straits,” says Panghal.