BJP Krushak Morcha members led by its State president Maheshwar Sahu held a procession on Friday from Power House Square to the Bhubaneswar Additional District Magistrate demanding a CBI inquiry into the corruption in agricultural implements and paddy purchases and black-marketing of fertilisers.
The agitators later submitted a memorandum addressed to the Governor on a seven-point charter of demands.
Sahu alleged that while the Central Government has announced a price of Rs 2,183 per quintal of paddy, the farmers in Odisha are forced to sell their paddy at Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,300 at the mandis. There is a scam of crores of rupees in paddy procurement in a nexus between the ruling party leaders, administrative officials and millers.
Besides, 30 lakh farmers of the State are deprived of the Prime Minister Kishan Sammannidhi Yojana as the State Government hasn’t submitted the complete list of farmers in the State.