The Bhumi Adhikar Aandolan, Odisha, during an All-India Protest Day on July 18 against anti-people and anti-farmer policies of the State and Central Governments, submitted a memorandum with various demands to Governor Dr SC Jamir here.
Its demands include remunerative price of 50 per cent above cost of production to all crops and guarantee purchase centers as recommended by the National Farmers Commission; Rs 3,000 per quintal of paddy as MSP; loan waiver and interest free credit for agriculture; 200 man days per year and Rs 350 daily wage per day under MGNREGA; monthly pension of Rs 5,000 at the age of 60 to all agriculture workers and small and marginal peasants holding up to two hectares of land; farmer status to all sharecroppers; withdrawal of notification on ban on cattle trade; repeal of Odisha Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (lARR) Rules, 2016 and distribution of the unused and surplus land among the original inhabitants in all projects, including Posco; implementation of Forest Right Act-2006 and PESA-1996, and scarping of anti-people and anti-environmental tourism project at Sipasarubali of Puri district
It condemned the brutal repression of farmers by police firing as happened in many parts of the country. The most recent incidents are of Mandsaur of Madhya Pradesh in which 6 farmers were killed and in Jharkhand where 7 Adivasi farmers were killed for resisting amendments to the Santhal Paragana Tenancy Act and Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act.