The nationwide farmers’ jatha organised by Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha which commenced from Kanyakumari, Jammu, Kolkata and Madurai on November 2, will culminate in a massive rally at New Delhi on November 24 to press the Centre to waive all loans of poor and marginal farmers and oppose 100% FDI in e-marketing by MNCs.
One of these four jathas, which took off from Kanyakumari, arrived here on Wednesday afternoon. The jatha in Karnataka is supported by Karnataka Pranth Raith Sangh and Centre of Indian Trade Unions and being led by ABKS leaders P. Krishna Prasad, Ashok Davale, Shankaranand, S.K. Preeza, KPRS state president Maruti Manpade and Belagavi district CITU Secretary G.M. Jainekhan.
Mr. Manpade told The Hindu that the jatha has been organised to draw the attention of the ‘anti-farmer’ governments at the Centre and in Karnataka toward the plight of farmers, particularly small and marginal growers, agricultural labourers hit by natural calamities, price rise and non-remunerative prices for their produce.
The major demands to be placed before the Centre include waiver of all loans on poor and marginal farmers, fixation of remunerative prices for agricultural crops at 50 per cent over and above the cost of cultivation and land to the tiller as recommended by the M.S. Swaminathan Commission report, crop insurance for all farmers, interest-free loans for agricultural operations and monthly pension of Rs.3000 to old farmers.
Amendment
He said the State government should amend the Karnataka Land Revenue Act,1964 to regularise all such forest lands which were presently under cultivation by farmers since several decades. As many as 13 lakh applications were rejected and about five lakh pending for consideration under the government ‘akrama-sakrama’ scheme.
