The Lok Sangharsh Morcha, which led the farmers' march to Mumbai's Azad Maidan on Thursday, 22 November, called off the protest after getting written assurances on their demands from the Maharashtra government.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday assured tribal farmers that their forest land rights claims will be settled by December this year, reported PTI.
Over 10,000 farmers staged the protest march from Thane to Azad Maidan, demanding higher MSP, adequate drought compensation, and complete loan waiver. Farmers from various parts of the state came together for the two-day march. They also demanded that the land tilled by the Adivasi farmers be written off in their name under the Forest Rights Act (FRA).
Swaraj Abhiyan activist Yogendra Yadav and conservationist Rajendra Singh were leading the march.
- Over 10,000 farmers participated in the two-day protest march from Thane to Mumbai’s Azad Maidan
- Farmers from various parts of Maharashtra stayed over in Mumbai’s Sion before marching towards Azad Maidan on early morning Thursday
- The farmers demands included: MSP at 50% higher than the production cost, drought compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre for non-irrigated land and Rs 1 lakh per acre for irrigated land, and complete loan waiver
Farmers' Call Off Protest After Getting Assurances from Govt
The Lok Sangharsh Morcha, which led the farmers' march to Mumbai's Azad Maidan on Thursday, called off the protest after getting written assurances on their demands from the Maharashtra government.
Farmers' March: CM Fadnavis Says Land Rights Claims Will be Settled
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday assured tribal farmers that their forest land rights claims will be settled by December this year.
Fadnavis gave this assurance to representatives of protesting farmers who marched to Azad Maidan in Mumbai for redressal of their grievances, which include compensation for drought and transfer of forest rights to tribals.
A delegation of the protesting tribals met Fadnavis at Vidhan Bhawan in south Mumbai, where the winter session of the state legislature in underway.
Tribal welfare minister Vishnu Savra said 3.6 lakh claims were received, of which 1.74 lakh have been settled in favour of the tribals.
Similarly, 12,000 claims for community forest activity were also received, of which 7,700 have been settled, he said.
Fadnavis assured the delegation that the remaining claims would be settled by December this year.
(PTI)
Visuals From The Spot
A large number of farmers and tribals take part in a protest march to push for the their long pending demands, including better price for their produce, total waiver of agricultural loans and transfer of forest rights to tribals, in Mumbai, on Thursday, 22 November 2018.
Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Girish Mahajan, who reached Mumbai's Azad Maidan to interact with the agitating farmers, said that CM Devendra Fadnavis will hold a meeting with the various representatives from the protest. “Their (farmers’) demands relating to the allocation of land will be seriously deliberated upon,” he said.