At a ground located off the Mumbai-Nashik highway in Sonale near Bhiwandi, the afternoon sun is unrelenting. However, just like the 30,000 farmers who have been walking with him from Nashik, Samadhan Gave (42), is undeterred.

"My feet are blistered, but I will walk to Vidhan Bhawan and force the government to accept our demands," said Gave, a farmer from Dindori, Nashik, who is part of the march organised by the CPI-M's Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha.

The protestors, many of them whom are tribals from Nashik, are pressing for the execution of the state government's loan waiver scheme and remunerative pricing for agricultural produce and milk.

"We have around five hectare land and our loan worth Rs 30,000 is yet to be waived by the state government despite us having applying for it," said Gave, who like others in the crowd was wearing a red-coloured cap, the CPI-M's colour.

"Despite cultivating forest land for decades, we have not been given land titles under the Recognition of Forests Right Act. We have no public distribution system (PDS) cards," said Bapu Jadhav from Nashik. Farm labourer, Raghunath Zapole from Surgana, noted that there were few schemes for the rural landless who were forced to work for daily wages as low as Rs 100.

Ashok Pawar from Chandwad said he was forced to drop out after Class X to work as a farm hand. "The government should have earn-and-learn schemes for students who can make ends meet without quitting education," he demanded.

Despite the physical stress and exhaustion -- there was a huge line of people seeking succor at an ambulance parked nearby -- the protestors said they would complete the 180 km walk to Mumbai.

THE DEMANDS

The farmers have demanded the execution of the state government’s loan waiver scheme which was announced in 2017

They also want remunerative pricing for agricultural produce and milk