Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Vidhansabha. (PTI)
Maharashtra farmers’ protest HIGHLIGHTS: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Thursday assured tribal farmers that their forest land rights claims will be settled by December this year. A delegation of the protesting tribals met Fadnavis at Vidhan Bhawan in south Mumbai, where the winter session of the state legislature is underway. Tribal welfare ministerVishnu Savra said 3.6 lakh claims were received, of which 1.74 lakh have been settled in favour of the tribals.
Thousands of farmers and tribals had arrived at the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in Mumbai to protest various agrarian issues plaguing the state. About 7,000 farmers, led by the Lok Sangharsh Morcha, commenced their march from Mulund Octroi Naka on Wednesday morning. Several political parties have lent their support to the protest, including Janata Dal (Secular), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiv Sena. Water conservationist Dr Rajendra Singh and MP Raju Shetty have also come out in support.
Some of the demands include the implementation of Swaminathan Committee Report, pending claims under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), minimum support price and setting up of a judicial system to ensure its implementation, complete farm loan waiver and drought compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre for non-irrigated land and Rs 1 lakh per acre for irrigated land and other issues.
In March this year, over 40,000 farmers held a six-day protest march from Nashik to Mumbai. (Express photo by Janak Rathod/File)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Thursday assured tribal farmers that their forest land rights claims will be settled by December this year. Fadnavis gave this assurance to representatives of protesting farmers who marched to Azad Maidan here for redressal of their grievances, which include compensation for drought and transfer of forest rights to tribals.
"We have been consistently asking the state government to fulfil our long-standing demands, but the response has been lukewarm. We are forced to launch this agitation," said Pratibha Shinde, general secretary of Lok Sangharsh Morcha, which is organising the protest. (PTI)
The farmers are demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Committee report, which suggested that farmers must have assured access and control over resources such as land and water. They are also demanding an increase in the minimum support price and a judicial system to ensure its implementation.
Express Photo by Prashant Nadkar
Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty
Threatening to not leave the grounds till their demands are met, Lok Sangharsh Morcha general secretary Pratibha Shinde said, "We will not leave Azad Maidan until our demands are met. We will decide our further course of action after meeting the chief minister."
Those protesting outside the Assembly are Minister for Water Resources Girish Mahajan, Conress and leader of opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azami.
A delegation of farmers will meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at 1.30 pm this afternoon.
Protesters are expected to reach Azad Maidan in south Mumbai by noon following which they will hold a demonstration near Vidhan Bhawan, where the state legislature session is underway. The participants are mostly from Thane, Bhusawal and Marathwada regions, he said.
Over 7,000 farmers and tribals from across Maharashtra are marching towards Azad Maidan in Mumbai in protest of various agrarian issues in the state. Click here to see photos.
The Lok Sangharsh Morcha arrived in Dadar on Monday morning. The Morcha, that began from Kalyan yesterday, is marching towards Azad Maidan in Mumbai. The farmers are demanding loan waiver and drought compensation among others.
(Express photos by Deepak Joshi)
Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh clarifies that demonetisation is not the cause of farmers adversity as announcement of the dmonetisation was made in November 2016 and the preparation of fields and ensuring avavilabilty of seeds and fertilisers started from October this year.
AAP leader Priti Menon addresses a press conference to announce support to the farmers' 'Lok Sangharsh Morcha' in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
(PTI Photo)
Magsaysay award winner Dr Rajendra Singh, also known as Waterman of India, is among the marchers. The protesters started walking Wednesday afternoon and are scheduled to reach Somaiyya Ground in Mumbai's Sion area where they will halt for the night.
On Thursday they will reach Azad Maidan in south Mumbai and plan to hold a demostration near Vidhan Bhawan, where the state legislature session is underway, a leader of the march said.
The participants are mostly from Thane, Bhusawal and Marathwada regions, he said.
For many of the 180 drought-hit talukas, cyclical drought is a complex reality. While 2017 saw above average rains almost across the state, many talukas are currently facing their third drought in the last six years.
The farmers have begun their two-day protest march from Mulund Octroi Naka. (Source: Deepak Joshi)
Districts in Marathwada (deficit of 36.6 per cent) and Nashik district (deficit of 39.4 per cent) are the worst affected. Along with water scarcity as early as November has come the foreboding of a scorching summer ahead. And with rabi crop (sown in October-December) set to hit all-time low in the drought-hit districts, communities that do not traditionally migrate for work have begun to do so.
Overall this year rainfall in Maharashtra is about 30 per cent lower than the 1210.8 mm average annual precipitation. On October 24, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis admitted that nearly half of the state (180 of 350 talukas) was drought-hit.
The state government last month declared drought in 151 talukas. There are total 355 talukas in Maharashtra. The government has urged the Centre to provide Rs 7,000 crore aide for drought mitigation.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition in state Assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, also urged the government to initiate concrete steps towards drought mitigation. Vikhe-Patil said, “The crop loss should be adequately compensated immediately.”
The NCP president, Sharad Pawar, wrote a letter to CM Devendra Fadnavis last week to highlight the seriousness of drought following poor monsoon in Maharashtra. Pawar in the letter said, “The kharif crops are in trouble and there is no hope for rabi crop following poor rainfall. The state government should make adequate provision for cattle fodder and drinking water.”
The winter has just set in and we are facing drought situation. In absence of rain in August and September, water scarcity crisis has become serious, he added
Dhananjay Shinde, spokesperson of Aam Adami Party, which has extended support to the protest, said that many parts of the state that are witnessing the drought have not been declared drought hit. “The government needs to look at the ground reality and announce drought in more affected areas,” said Shinde.
He further said the representatives of all religions would also take part in the protest on Thursday to stand with the farmers for their issues. Other parties such as Janta Dal (Secular), Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) have also extended support to the protest.
Explaining the demands of the farmers, Pratibha Shinde, general secretary of the Lok Sangharsh Morcha said that non-transfer of the forest land on to the tillers’ name has deprived many tribals from availing the benefits such as farm loan waiver, crop loan, drought compensation among others. “Besides, the farmers are getting less than the MSP for their produce and there is no place where they can complain about it. So, there is a need to have a judicial system to keep check on whether the farmers are getting the MSP,” she added.