Adivasis, farmers in Maharashtra planning to march from Nashik to Mumbai

The march will commence on Wednesday from Mumbai Naka in central Nashik and reach Mumbai on February 27

Current Affairs: Afraid of being left out under government’s relief schemes, around 80,000 adivasis and farmers in Maharashtra are planning to begin a long march from Nashik to Mumbai to press upon their demands.

The march will commence on Wednesday from Mumbai Naka in central Nashik and reach Mumbai on February 27. The Nashik police, however, said that it was expecting a gathering of around 25,000 farmers from all across the state for which all necessary precautions have been taken.

A similar protest march, organized in March 2018, ended with promises from the state government to ensure farmers’ returns on agricultural commodities were 50 per cent higher than their cost of production, apart from loan waivers and other promises.

“Half of Maharashtra is facing drought this year due to uneven distribution of rainfall in the last monsoon season. To weed out farmers’ problems, therefore, we have listed five immediate demands which include: regular work under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), cattle camps to look after animals in the state, compensation for crops damaged in the drought, payment of school and tuition fees of aggrieved farmers’ kids and provision of drinking water,” said Ashok Dhawale, President, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), the organiser of the long march…Read More