Govt positive over demands of farmers, tribals: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

MUMBAI: Expect affordable prices of onion, India's kitchen staple, over the seasons to come as state government on Thursday reportedly assured the agitating farmers a hiked support price to their produce.
"The state government is positive in considering the demands of agitating farmers and tribal brothers and a government decision over the charter of their demands will be conveyed through a statement to be made at the ongoing budget session of the legislature on Friday," chief minister Eknath Shinde said.
He was talking to electronic media soon after discussions with the delegation of All India Kisan Samiti (AIKS). We have requested them to stop the Long March, he added.
Meanwhile, farmer leaders told TOI that the CM had assured them to marginally raise support price for onion from present Rs 300 per quintal against our demand of Rs 600, extend loan waiver to those who could not get in the past, and make standard certification compulsory for milkometers which decide price of milk based on fat and other contents.
Minimum support price of Rs 600 per quintal to onion growers, 12-hour uninterrupted power daily, loan waiver, waiver in pending energy bills, old age pension, and forest land rights were the prominent demands discussed at the meeting. Thousands of farmers who walked from Dindori in Nashik district are camping in Vasind in Thane after covering almost over 150 kms bare feet to draw government's attention to a 17-point charter of demand that also includes the appropriate price for agricultural produce, and a speedy compensation for crops losses due to the unseasonal rains.
Around 10,000 farmers, ASHA and migrant workers have joined the march launched by the CPI(M)’s All India Kisan Samiti (AIKS). Morcha leaders Dr Ashok Dhawale, member of the CPI(M) Politburo; former MLA Jiva Pandu Gavit; Dr Ajit Navale of the AIKS; Uday Narkar, secretary of the Maharashtra state committee of the CPI(M) were present at the meeting.
Discussions were chaired by CM Eknath Shinde. DCM Devendra Fadnavis, Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar, Tribal Development Minister Dr. Vijay Kumar Gavit, Rural Development Minister Girish Mahajan, Ports and Mines Minister Dada Bhuse, Cooperation Minister Atul Save, Chief Secretary Manu Kumar Srivastav and many other officers were present.
In the meeting, that lasted for about three hours, an elaborate discussion on various issues such as lands traditionally inherited by tribals, forest rights claims, encroachments in forests, barren lands, agricultural loans etc were held besides onion prices and power bill waiver. The agitation gained national attention when farmers poured onions on the road to register their protest.
It may be mentioned here that the onion prices have crashed in Maharashtra, resulting in farmers getting very little for their produce. The farmers are seeking financial relief of ? 600 per quintal from onion growers and remunerative prices for crops like cotton, soybean, tur and green gram which have seen a slide in prices due to unnatural rains and other natural calamities.
In 2018, a similar ‘Long March’ from Nashik to Mumbai was led by the CPI(M), Kisan Sabha and other like-minded organisations over various demands, including an unconditional loan waiver and transfer of forest land to tribal farmers who have been tilling it for years. Government – then led by Devendra Fadnavis – had accepted their demands, following which the protest was called off.