Farmers rally for pension, prestige

Thousands of farmers from the Jajpur district and beyond under the banner of Navnirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS) today staged a massive rally here demanding pension, enhancement of MSP and prestige to farmers. As many as 9,000 NKS representatives including many women from at least 1300 villages of the Jajpur district attended the rally at Kianalikula chhak, the gateway of Jajpur city in the district.

Besides, many NKS members from the Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal and Bhadrak district also participated. The farmers came in a procession from College Square to Kianali chhak. Later, they held a protest meeting wherein the NKS State coordinator Akshaya Kumar, adviser former MP Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Sheshadev Nandaand Jajpur district coordinator Nimai Charan Ray addressed the gathering.

Advertisement

“We have been demanding proper price for the agricultural produce, prestige and pension for the farmers of the state, but the government is not paying heed to our demands,” decried NKS state coordinator Akshaya Kumar. He further said if the government does not address their problems soon, the farmers would intensify their movement. “If necessary emergencylike situation will be created in the state,” he said. NKS advisor, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik said,”

Almost 70 per cent of the population of our state are dependent on farming and condition of the farmers are very precarious. But no body is looking the interests of this major chunk of the state’s population”. “We the innocent farmers have suffered the most even 70 years after India’s Independence.

“We do not get even the proper procurement price for our produce. Neither do we have any social security, nor do we have prestige,” said Rabindra Behera, an agitator. Later, a NKS delegation met the Jajpur collector Ranjan Kumar Das and gave a 10 point charter of demands.