Vegetables and milk may not reach many towns as farmers' agitation begins
The farmers have called for a 10 day 'gaon bandh' to mark the death anniversary of seven farmer's who were killed by police firing last year on 6th June in Mandsaur in Mandhya Pradesh.
The farmers have called for a 10 day 'gaon bandh' to mark the death anniversary of seven farmer's who were killed by police firing last year on 6th June in Mandsaur in Mandhya Pradesh. The strike will commence from 1st June.
Consequently, the strike is expected to effect the supply of milk and vegetables in the cities of Madhya Pradesh.
Almost 110 farming organisations under Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh have decided to not to supply any vegetables and milk to the cities. The strike will impact most of North India, as neighbouring states like Punjab and Haryana have also agreed to declared call for strike.
In a report by Hindustan times: According to IG (intelligence) Makrand Deouskar, of the 51 districts in the state, the impact of the strike will be felt in 18, including 12 districts in Malwa, and the remaining in Hoshangabad, Sagar, Gwalior and Chambal divisions.
The Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh has demanded for loan waiver, pension for farmers, higher prices for production and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendation on minimum support prices.
In the upcoming days, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Mandsaur. The Madhya Pradesh government has made arrangements to help people to overcome any shortage. Security personnel have been deployed throughout the state to avoid any kind of dispute.
Last year the farmers had called on a protest against the state government and asked them to fulfil their demands. The demands included relief fund and pension for farmers. But the agitation got worse and police had to take in charge of the crowd. Even after throwing tear gas when the crowd was not under control, the police had to open fire which left 7 people dead. Later the police denied the allegations of firing and that bullets were shot by "anti-social elements".
Two-thirds of India's 1.3 billion population depend on farming for their livelihood, but the sector accounts for just 14 percent of the country's GDP (AlJazeera). Yet the farmers are not given their rights and are being exploited. Its about the importance of agriculture and farmers' equity.
