Reiterating its demand for price, prestige and pension for farmers, hundreds of farmers under the banner of the Navnirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS) staged a rally at the Rasulgarh Square here on Monday.
The NKS has been demanding a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 5,000 per quintal of paddy, Rs 300 as bonus for each quintal of paddy and monthly social security allowance to the tune of Rs 5,000, besides respect for the agrarian community.
The farmers coming from various parts of the State took out a procession from Pahal before reaching Rasulgargh. Addressing the gathering, NKS State convenor Akshay Kumar said, “It is a matter of great regret that in a State like Odisha farmers and agriculture sector never get their due attention from the Governments. Farmers continue to be a neglected lot. While the Government employees are getting salary ranging from Rs 90,000 to Rs 1,25,000 with other facilities and pension, for farmers there is no social security mechanism.”
He also blamed the State Government for its faulty agriculture policies which have pushed agriculture sector into a crisis.