Farmers’ group plans protests on January 8

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra unit of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) plans to stage a statewide protest on January 8, through a rail-roko and rasta-roko demanding the implementation of minimum support price, drought relief, farmers’ land rights and preventing their suicides.

The AIKS will also lend support to the Gramin Bharat Bandh on January 8 and 9 to protest Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “non-committal” stand on farm loan waivers.

The decision was taken at the Kisan Sabha meeting in Pune on Friday. Ajit Nawale of AIKS said that onion farmers in the state are suffering today as are those in drought-affected areas of the state.

The organisation demanded that Modi tour the drought-affected areas of Marathwada and announce a special relief package.

Ashok Dhawale, president of AIKS, alleged that drought relief has not reached many villages and the farmer’s suicide still continues.

“Several villages in the state are affected due to drought, but no relief work is being carried out. Names of several villages that are affected are not taken due to the erroneous policy of the central government,” Dhawale said.

Nawale said, “The farmers who were cheated in the loan waiver — not given crop insurance or compensation for crop damage — continue to commit suicide. And therefore, a strong agitation will be staged.”

The farmers’ outfit also hit out at the Maharashtra government over the subsidy for onion growers in the state. The government on Thursday announced ₹200 per quintal onion subsidy days after farmers sent money orders to PM Modi and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to mark their protest against plummeting prices.

A statement from the AIKS said, “In 2016 when the prices had dropped, the state government announced a subsidy of ₹100. Till date, the money has not reached the farmers.”