The farmers, who came from different districts of the state under the banner of Navnirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS), demanded that they be paid pension on attaining 60 years of age
Bhubaneswar: After Mumbai, it was the turn of the Odisha assembly to face protests by farmers as thousands of them launched a dharna in front of it on Monday.
The farmers are demanding a hike in the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy to Rs5,000 per quintal. They are also seeking a pension of Rs5,000 per month for the state’s 36 lakh farmers. There is no pension for farmers at present in the state.
The farmers, who came from different districts of the state under the banner of Navnirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS), demanded that they be paid pension on attaining 60 years of age. “The agitation will intensify and reach the grassroot level if the state government fails to fulfil our demands,” NKS convenor Akshay Kumar said.
Its advisor, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, has recently joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal and has filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections. Earlier, Patnaik had led rallies in various parts of Odisha to press for farmers’ demands.
Please click here to read more.