|
Former Minister and Prahar Party leader Bacchu Kadu on Wednesday warned that trains would be stopped at Nagpur later in the day, as the farmer protests led by him continued for the second consecutive day.
Kadu also slammed the state government, stating that if the state government does not have the money to waive farmer loans, the Centre should step in. "Now we will stop trains after 12 noon... Our farmers are drowning in debt. If the state government doesn't have the money, the central government should help," Kadu told ANI. On Tuesday, Bacchu Kadu hit out at the Maharashtra state government and demanded that it provide immediate, unconditional loan waivers to debt-ridden farmers in the state. He arrived in Nagpur with thousands of farmers and held a protest here on Tuesday. The farmers blocked the Nagpur-Hyderabad National Highway (NH-44). The protesters alleged that despite repeated assurances, the government has failed to provide adequate relief to the drought-stricken farming community. Speaking to ANI, Bacchu Kadu said, "There was a demand for debt relief. They said to give Rs 6000 for soybean and a 20 per cent bonus for every crop. The Bhavantar Yojana is currently in place in Madhya Pradesh. There's nothing here. Not a single crop in Maharashtra is receiving its full price, and the Chief Minister doesn't have time to meet the farmers. The demand for debt relief will remain. Right now, there are 1-1.5 lakh farmers. Another one lakh will come tomorrow." Earlier this month, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a relief package of Rs 31,628 crore for rain-hit farmers in the state. The government also decided to provide cash relief of Rs 10,000 to affected farmers.CM Fadnavis noted that more than 68 lakh hectares of crops were damaged due to floods and heavy rainfall in the state. The relief package will cover damage in 29 of the 36 districts of Maharashtra. (ANI)
|
