BHUBANESWAR: Inspired by the 'long march' of farmers from Nashik to Mumbai in Maharashtra demanding waiver of farm loan and pension to farmers, peasants in Odisha staged a massive rally pressing for fulfilment of almost identical demands in the state capital on Monday.

Around 15,000 farmers came in a procession started from Master Canteen to Lower PMG and staged a rally near state assembly demanding allocation of Rs 21,600 crore in the state budget to make necessary provisions to pay pension of Rs 5,000 per month to each poor farmer of the state. Around 180 of them began an indefinite hunger strike.

The farmers backed by Navnirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS) also demanded hike in minimum support price (MSP) of paddy to Rs 3000 per quintal instead of paying a meager Rs 1550 now.

“The state government can also raise Rs 500 as bonus on every quintal of paddy,” said Akshaya Kumar, national coordinator of the NKS.

He said the state government does not accept the truth that hundreds of farmers committed suicide due to crop loss and debt burden.

“We urge the state government to accept the truth and waive farm loan to help them,” he added.

Kumar said they have been organising rallies, movements and demonstrations during the past five years for good price, prestige and pension for farmers in the state.

“Demands of farmers are almost similar across the country. Not only in Maharashtra, peasants from Kutch to Arunachal and Kashmir to Kanyakumari will come out soon protesting the government’s lackadaisical attitude in solving the problems of the farming community,” he lamented.

Sangathan members said they will continue their dharna at the Lower PMG till the government comes up with a solution to end farmers' woes.

“We are fighting for 36 lakh marginal and small farmers of the state. The government has to give pension to the peasants to bail them out from the dangerous web of loan and crop loss,” said Seshadev Nanda, co-coordinator of the farmer body.

Nanda said the state government has to give priority to agriculture sector by digging irrigation points and canals. The government has to strengthen infrastructure and create opportunity for farmers to make agricultural activities a profitable business, he added.

He said they will support anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazaare, who is going to start his Satyagraha in New Delhi from March 23 demanding proper price to farmers of the country on their agriculture produce.

Amar Prasad Satpathy, government chief whip, said his government is taking all measures to help the farmers of the state. “We have started working on increasing the income of farmers of the state. We admit that farmers do not get good price per quintal of paddy. Our government had requested the Centre to hike the paddy MSP , but it is not materialized yet,” he added.

