NCP demands support price of Rs 1000 for paddy growers

Bhubaneswar, Jun 2 (UNI) The Orissa unit of the Nationalist Congress Party today demanded a support price of Rs 1000 for paddy growers.

NCP president Bijoy Mohapatra told newspersons here that though the Centre had recommended a support price of Rs 1000 for paddy growers the state government wanted it to be fixed at Rs 850.

Mr Mohapatra said though Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik claimed that it had accorded top priority to agriculture, the government was 'anti-farmer and very insensitive' to their interests.

The NCP leader said the Commission on Agriculture Cost and Prices(CACP) of the Union government had recommended a support price of Rs one thousand for paddy. The recommendation was circulated to all states in February last.

Mr Mohapatra said states like Punjab, Haryana,Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka demanded higher support price than what was recommended by the CACP.

But Orissa was the only state in the country which wanted the support price for paddy to be fixed at Rs 850. He demanded the government fix the support price for paddy at Rs 1000 in the interest of farmers.

Mr Mohapatra announced to launch a 'Jail Bharo' andolan here on June four to protest alleged lawlessness and rising incidents of crime in the state in the last few months.

He said murder, dacoity, gangrape and riots inside jail had become a daily feature.

The chief minister and his team had miserably failed to maintain law and order, he alleged. Citing a number of incidents, Mr Mohapatra said the government 'failed' to take specific action against anyone.

He alleged that criminals had close links with the BJP-BJD government and the situation failed to improve due to political protection given to the criminals.

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