Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers take to streets, demand loan waivers

RANCHI: Farmers’ bodies across the state on Wednesday staged a protest to highlight the plight of the agriculture community during the lockdown and demanded the government to waive off their loans and take other measures for their survival. State general secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sabha (ABKS) Mahendra Pathak said the protests were held at several places in the state including Kanke, Rahe, Maheshpur Chirudih and Silli under the banner of Kisan Samanvyay Sangharsh Samiti. Apart from ABKS, farmers’ bodies such as Kisan Sangram Samiti and Jharkhand Rajya Kisan Sabha took part in the protest. Pathak said, “While the entire country is under lockdown, farmers are working hard in the fields, but are getting extremely low prices for their produce. At several places, farmers are finding it hard to get buyers.” He added, “During the demonstrations, protesters raised slogans against the central government and demanded an allowance of Rs 10,000 per month for farmers, universalisation of the public distribution system (PDS), reduction of working hours from eight to six and 365-day work guarantee under MNREGA.” “While the Centre is writing off loans taken by capitalists, debt-ridden farmers are committing suicides. With migrants returning to the state, the agriculture sector must be promoted to provide them employment,” Pathak added. While addressing a gathering of farmers at Manha village in Ranchi, CPI district secretary Ajay Singh said the Centre has given nothing to the farmers in the economic package so far.

The Times of India

2020-05-28

Ranchi