LJP stages dharna to protect farmers' interests

Patna, Oct 11(UNI) Bihar LJP today staged a dharna here in protest against the 'pathetic' condition of farmers due to 'insensitivity' of the Nitish government towards their problems.

Addressing workers on the occasion, president of the state party Ghulam Rasool Baliavi demanded that interest on the loans taken by the farmers be waived off and state government should provide ninety per cent aid to them in purchasing boring pumpsets.

He lamented that even after spending crores of rupees, several irrigation projects were still incomplete affecting the interests of lakhs of farmers.

He urged the state government to allocate funds for the completion of these projects which would mitigate the irrigation problems to a great extent.

LJP leader strongly opposed the acquisition of agricultural lands for establishing industrial units and shopping complex adding that his party was not against the industrialisation but it should not happen at the cost of farmers. 'Farmers should be provided diesels and kerosene oil at subsidised rates for irrigation,' he demanded.

He said the state government should fix the procurement prices of sugarcane at Rs 150 per quintal and milk should be procured at Rs 15 per litre. 'Sudha an undertaking of Bihar government is exploiting the dairy farmers by procuring the milk at low price' he alleged.

UNI XC-RS KK KLC1743