Nashik to Mumbai Farmers’ March: About 25,000 Farmers Join ‘180-km-Long March’ Demanding Complete Loan Waiver

Nashik, March 8: In a bid to press for their long pending demands, about 25,000 farmers on Wednesday continued their march from Nashik to Mumbai. As per reports, the farmers began a 180-km-long march on Wednesday from the CBS chowk in Central Nashik.  Reports state that they then took a night halt and resumed their journey on Thursday morning on the Mumbai-Agra National Highway. The protesting farmers are believed to reach Mumbai on March 12.

As per reports, the farmers plan to ‘gherao’ the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha after they reach Mumbai.  It must be noted that All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) is organising the march. The protest has been called for the resolution of farmers’ issues that include a complete loan waiver, said Sunil Malusare of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS).

Farmers’ demands

The demands of the farmers include a complete waiver of loans and electricity bills, and the implementation of recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. Among other demands, the farmers are also demanding the transfer of forest land to those who have been tilling it for years and an increase in the compensation for peasants whose crops were damaged in the recent hailstorms and pink bollworm infestation. Notably, the government had announced the loan waiver last year following unprecedented protests by farmers in various parts of the state.

AIKS says no progress made in the last 2 years

AIKS secretary Raju Desle had said earlier that they wanted the state government to refrain from a forceful acquisition of farmlands in the name of development projects like the superhighway and the bullet train. Meanwhile, Ajit Nawale, the state general secretary of the Kisan Sabha, said though these demands were raised two years ago, no progress has been made.

As per a report by PTI, Desle accused the Centre and the state government of adopting “anti-farmer” policies. He claimed that as many as 1,753 farmers have killed themselves since June last year when the BJP-led state government announced a conditional farm loan waiver of Rs 34,000 crore.

AIKS national president Ashok Dhavle said, “We will demand a complete change in the river linking scheme proposed to be implemented in Nashik, Thane and Palghar, so as to ensure that tribal villages are not submerged and water is made available to these districts and other drought-prone areas”.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 08, 2018 02:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).