Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 29: All Jammu and Kashmir Kissan Union has urged for a separate budget for agriculture on the pattern of Railway Budget for making this sector remunerative for the farmers of the State.
Addressing a largely attended dharna by All J&K Kissan Union, its chairman, Ashok Sharma, pressed for the acceptance of the most genuine demands of the farmers. He also pleaded for formulating a comprehensive farm policy for the State, so that the losses caused to standing crops, orchards and live stocks due to drought, excessive rains, floods, hail storm and various diseases could be offset by providing them full compensation for such losses, organized by the All J&K Kissan Union.
The union secretary, Rajinder Singh Paul while addressing impressed upon the union and State Governments to concede the demands of union and pleaded for crop and cattle insurance on Government expenses. He asked the farmers to unite themselves on single plateform to fight against their exploitation.
Other demands raised by the Kisan Unions at dharnas orgainsed at Vijaypur and Bishnah included augmentation of irrigation facilities, promoting rain water harvesting management, providing the farmers with the latest techniques of dry land farming, bringing small and marginal farmers under BPL category and reservation of seats for their children in professional, technical and institutions of higher learning as per the population of farming community, establishment of Kissan Bhawans at blocks, district and divisional levels, fixation of minimum support price of agriculture produce, establishment of Kissan Mandies to discourage the exploitation by middleman, enabling the farmers to get returns of their produce.
Among those who addressed the dharna included Satish Dutta, Yash Paul Sharma, R N Khajuria, J L Bhagat, R C Raju, Balwan Kumar, Satish Sharma, Onkar Singh and others.
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