Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 9: A number of farmers from different districts of Jammu Region, under the banner of Jammu & Kashmir Kissan Tehreek, which is affiliated with All India Kissan Sabha, staged a day long protest in front of Divisional Commissioner Office, Jammu and submitted a memorandum of demands.
The memorandum, highlighting demands such as procurement of paddy through Government agencies/co-operative societies, compensation of damaged wheat/maize crops due to heavy rains and hailstorm, free supply of electricity for water pumps for the irrigation purpose, interest free credit to poor/middle peasantry/share croppers and agricultural workers and not more than 4 percent interest for other farmers, crop insurance and protection of crops from wild animals like monkeys and bears, providing credit card to each and every farmer and waive off outstanding loans etc, was submitted to the Divisional Commissioner for immediate redressal of problems being faced by the farmers and rural population.
Earlier voicing his serious concern, Kishore Kumar, State president of J&K Kissan Tehreek, said that the Government policies resulted in increasing inputs cost and lack of remuneration prices along with natural calamities have made the agriculture a loss – making venture consequently putting the lives of peasants, agriculture workers and artisan in serious distress.
Banarsi Dass and Sohan Lal, Regional president and secretary, respectively of Kissan Tehreek said that the successive Governments have shown no interest to promote agriculture and horticulture in the State.
Sham Prasad Kesar, senior leader of State CITU, said that NDA Government which came to power promising the reversal of anti-farmers policies, has done nothing in favour of farmers. “The agrarian distress is continuing and peasant suicides have increased by 26 percent since the NDA Government assumed power,” he said.
Other who spoke on this occasion, included Om Parkash, Seva Ram, Dharm Singh, Jagdish Chander, Bawa Ram, Master Barita Ram, Subadar Bawa Ram, Mangat Ram and Mohinder Singh.
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