INLD rallies in Haryana for rain-hit farmers

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), the main opposition party in Haryana, staged rallies at district headquarters across the state on Friday demanding compensation of Rs.25,000 per acre for rain and hailstorm affected farmers, a party leader said.

The INLD workers handed over a memorandum to the administrative officers.

The memorandum, addressed to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, contains several demands for farmers who lost their crops due to unseasonal rain and hailstorm in the state.

A demand of Rs.300 per quintal bonus in addition to the minimum support price (MSP) was also made.

The memorandum also said that the central and state governments must implement the Swaminathan report soon as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised in its poll manifesto.

The National Commission on Farmers, chaired by M.S. Swaminathan, submitted five reports from December 2004 to October 2006.

Following from the first four reports, the final report focussed on the reasons for farmer distress and rise in farmer suicides and recommended addressing them through a holistic national policy for farmers.

INLD vice-president Anantram Tanwar told IANS that peaceful protests in support of farmers will take place from time to time till their reasonable demands are met.