Maharashtra farmers bring protest march to Mumbai, seek minimum support price and loan waiver

A protest march by over 30,000 farmers against the failure of the BJP-led government to address agrarian distress entered Mumbai on Sunday. PTI

The march, led by All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) — a peasants front of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was launched from Nashik on Tuesday. PTI

The farmers will stage a protest outside the Legislative Assembly in Mumbai on Monday, demanding fair remuneration and loan waiver. PTI

These farmers will seek answers from the government for the non- implementation of the demands that were promised by the government, said Ajit Nawale, state general secretary of AIKS. PTI

Complete loan waiver and profit of 1.5 times input cost for all major agriculture commodities are the major demands of the AIKS. The farmers also want the immediate implementation of MS Swaminathan committee's recommendations, which ensure fair remuneration. PTI

The agitating farmers are also demanding compensation of Rs 40,000 per acre for the destruction of crops due to hailstorms and pink bollworm, allocation of forest land under cultivation to farmers and implementation of Forest Rights Act. Firstpost/Sanjay Sawant

BJP is not just facing flak from the Opposition but also its alliance partner Shiv Sena on the issue of agrarian distress. Firstpost/Sanjay Sawant