Hi there, 

Thank you for visiting my page!

I will be running/ cycling/ walking the distance from Punjab to the Singhu Border (344 km) between the 15/01/21 and 18/05/21 to raise money for Khalsa Aid for the Farmers Protesting in Delhi. 

A bit about Khalsa Aid:

Khalsa Aid is an international NGO with the aim to provide humanitarian aid in disaster areas and civil conflict zones around the world. The organisation is based upon the Sikh principle of "Recognise the whole human race as one".The charity was founded by Ravinder (Ravi) Singh, who was struck by the plight of the refugees in Kosovo in 1999.That year also marked the 300th birth anniversary of the Khalsa – an opportunity for the community to reflect on the core teachings of their faith.

In September, during the pandemic, the Indian Government passed 3 new laws de-regulating the agriculture sector in India. (Please keep in mind that around 70% of India's population relies on farming as their source of income.)  The farmers are protesting against these laws- the farmers are protesting peacefully and yet they are facing brutality from the police. The laws are as follows:

1. Eliminates all government subsidies for the farmers. Prior to this, MSP was put in place where the Government guaranteed some money for at least a few grain crops. As a replacement, Private Co-operations and large (inter)national companies it place- this means that the farmer has to grow what the company wants and at the companies price. Though this may sound like a good idea, the likelihood of exploitation is high. 

2. If a farmer gets into a dispute with a private company, they are not able to go to the courts. Instead, they have to their local "authorities" to resolve the matter. It is obvious that the "judge" will be in favour of the large company as they have more money. 

3. This allows the companies to hoard foodstuffs regardless of whether it is a commodity. This is obviously in favour towards the larger companies as they will buy the crops at low prices and then sell them when there is a high rate for them in the market- leading in higher profits for the companies but food shortages for everyone else.

I am doing this  in memory of my Grandfathers- Jhalman Singh Dosanjh and Hompal Singh Cheema...

Thank you for your donation.