Farmers call off stir as Maha govt gives in to most demands
WRITTEN ASSURANCE Demands included transfer of forest land & dilution of loan waiver conditions among others
A farmer stir organised by the Left-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) in Maharashtra came to an end on Monday evening, nearly a week after thousands of tribal cultivators launched a 170-km protest march from Nasik to Mumbai.
The protest was called off after the government accepted a majority of the demands raised by the predominately tribal farmers, including the main demand for transfer of forest land being tilled by them for generations under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The state gave a written assurance to the farmers leaders after an over two-hourlong discussion between them and a cabinet ministerial committee headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The government also announced special trains to ferry the agitators back to their home districts.
The transfer of forest land is expected to be completed in six months.
The state government also agreed to dilute the conditions laid down for a loan waiver, including its extension from June 30, 2016, to June 30, 2017, and allowed those with pending loans from 2001 (instead of 2009) to benefit from the scheme. It also complied with the demand
MUMBAI: THE GOVERNMENT ALSO ANNOUNCED SPECIAL TRAINS TO FERRY THE AGITATORS BACK TO THEIR HOME DISTRICTS
that loans taken for agricultural implements and equipment up to ₹1.50 lakh be considered under the waiver.
Other demands included setting up of a special committee to look at rights over inam, ‘devasthan’ (temple trusts land) and ‘gairan’ (grazing lands), among others. “We have succeeded in making the government listen to our pleas. Our march has helped us achieve this. However, our struggle for seeking a complete loan waiver for farmers will continue,” said AIKS secretary Ajit Nawale.
Other demands include renewing old ration cards of tribals within three months and increasing the pension promised under social schemes for destitute persons and senior citizens living below poverty line. The state government’s written assurances were read out by farmer leaders in the presence of state ministers and committee members, including revenue minister Chandrakant Patil, water resources minister Girish Mahajan and public works minister Eknath Shinde.