Endgame for relationship between farmers and commission agents in Punjab?

Commission agents say directly transferring money into farmers' accounts could put their loans in jeopardy

The Narendra Modi government seems to have pulled a rabbit out of the hat right in the midst of the ongoing farmers’ protest. The Punjab government has been virtually forced to directly transfer payments of the minimum support price (MSP) to farmers’ bank accounts for the upcoming wheat procurement season. This is the first time Punjab will be doing so. Till now MSP payments were being routed through commission agents (arthiyas) who would then transfer it to farmers. This comes at a time when one of the major concerns of the farmers protesting on Delhi’s borders is that the new