Hundreds of milk farmers with their cows and milks marched from Master Canteen to Lower PMG Square demanding Rs 30 per litre of milk and inclusion in the KALIA scheme. They poured 100 litres of milk and flooded the roads at PMG under the banner of Odisha Milk Farmers' Association led by its chairman and Samajwadi Party State president Rabi Behera and submitted a memorandum to Agriculture Minister Sashi Bhusan Behera.
Besides, the farmers demanded interest-free loan, assistance of Rs 50,000 for purchasing cow and another Rs 50,000 for cow-shed, Rs 2 lakh insurance, incentives of Re 1 per litre of milk and service condition of 6,159 Milk Cooperative secretaries.
They told that due to the apathetic attitude of the State Government, about 11 lakh milk farmers’ families are living in distress as milk price has not been increased.
The Agriculture Minister assured the delegation to consider their demands sympathetically. Among others, Association vice chairman Dusasan Mahapatra, secretary Narayan Dalua, farmer leaders Gourang Rourtay, Bijay Behera, Kishore Swain, Reena Routray spoke in the rally.