Kissan Congress planning state wide protests

BHUBANESWAR: The Pradesh Kisan Congress today announced that it would launch a Statewide agitation against the Government’s failure to tackle the drought-like situation.

The Government has neither a clear picture on the kharif crop position nor it has any plan of action on saving the crops, Pradesh Kisan Congress president Amiya Patnaik told a media conference here.  The Government’s promise to irrigate at least 35 per cent of cultivable lands in each block has come a cropper. It has not able to provide complete irrigation facility to a single block during the last 11 years, he said and alleged that the Central assistance for irrigation under the Bharat Nirman programme had been misappropriated.

The Government admitted that over 10 lakh hectares have remained fallow due to scarcity of water. Crop failure has led to farmers’ suicides but the Government is doing nothing to save the distressed farmers.

The farmer leader urged the Government to stop collection of agricultural loan repayment, extend farm loans at one per cent rate of interest for rabi crops and supply of seeds and other agricultural  inputs to the farmers for taking up early rabi crop.