Maharashtra government gives in to farmers’ demands, will raise subsidy on onions to Rs 600 per quintal 

About 10,000 farmers who had set out on a protest march from Nashik’s Dhindori on March 13 halted their march after Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde assured them of fulfilling their demands late on Thursday.

“Chief minister Eknath Shinde has agreed to raise the subsidy on onions from the current Rs 300 per quintal to Rs 600 per quintal, which was our first and foremost demand. Overall, they have considered most of our demands. We will only consider withdrawing the march if they take up the same in the assembly session today and also pass them on to the divisional commissioners for implementation. But we have halted our march for now, we will camp at Idgah ground at Vasind in Shahapur till our demands are implemented,” said Ashok Dhawale, president of the CPI(M)’s All India Kisan Samiti (AIKS), who is leading the march.

Shinde said that the discussion with the farmers was positive and an announcement on the decisions taken would be made on the floor of the assembly on Friday. The CM was talking to electronic media soon after discussions with the AIKS.

The three-hour meeting also discussed loan waivers for over 88,000 farmers, which was assured by Shinde, who also agreed to compulsory standard certification for milkometers which decide the price of milk based on fat and other contents.

Almost 10,000 farmers participating in this march have been walking for “basic rights”, said Dhawale. Apart from a minimum support price of Rs 2,000 per quintal of onion, they also sought an immediate subsidy of Rs 600 per quintal for the crop that has already been sold at a loss.

They are also seeking 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.

Moreover, the farmers have demanded 12-hour uninterrupted electricity supply and a write-off on all power bills for agricultural consumers, apart from the complete loan waiver to low- and middle-income farmers and agricultural workers, numbering about 80,000.

A long-pending demand has been the implementation of Forests Right Act, 2006, said Dhawale. “Forest land being cultivated by farmers must be registered under their names,” he said.