CPM demands white paper on fertiliser trade in Orissa

Bhubaneswar, Aug 8 (UNI) Orissa unit of the CPI(M) today demanded the Orissa government publish a white paper on fertiliser trade in the state.

Orissa state party committee Secretary Janardan Pati told newspersons here that the officials of the central and state governments, in collusion with the fertiliser companies, had created an artificial shortage of fertiliser in the state and misappropitated crores of subsidy amount given by the government.

Mr Pati demanded a through inquiry into the incident.

The CPI(M) leader said out of total 85 lakh hectares of cultivable land in the state, fertiliser was used in 50 lakh hectares. At the rate of 49 kg per hectare, the state required 4.25 lakh tonnes of fertiliser per annum.

But the central government,he said, had provided only 7.5 lakh tonnes of fertiliser as against the state government's demand for 9.5 lakh tonnes.

The CPM leader said the government should make public the amount of fertiliser it had received from the fertiliser companies and the quanity sold and the list of farmers who bought it.

He further demanded the Orissa government cover all the 59 lakh poor of the state under the Rs 2 kg rice scheme launched since August 2 last.

The leader said his party had decided to launch an agitation in September demanding the government provide homestead land, land to the landless, BPL card to all poor of the state and food to all members of a poor family under the Public Distribution System.

Mr Pati said his party would submit a memorandum to the Governor tomorrow requesting him to initiate steps to give right to the tribals over the forest.

He said his party would unite the tribals to fight against the petition filed by some retired officers of the Forest department challenging the rights of the tribals on the Forest Act.

Mr Pati said his party would extend full support to the August 20 'Bharat Bandh' called by the workers and the employees to protest the 'anti-people' policies of the Union government.

About 10,000 activists of the party would participate in the strike on that day.

Mr Pati said the party would organise meetings, protest marches, and conventions from August 10 across the state to educate the people about the 'wrong' policies of the union government.

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