Vidarbha farmers protest on Independence Day

Thousands of farmers and widows of land tillers Friday protested in Yavatmal, a district town in Vidarbha, demanding food security and loan waiver due to failed monsoons in the region, an activist said here.

About 10,000 farmers from 300 villages also resolved to launch hunger strikes in their villages during the ensuing Ganesh festival if the state government failed to redress their grievances by then, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti president Kishore Tiwari said.

"The situation is Vidarbha is deteriorating and suicides continue in different parts as the monsoon has failed and the third round of sowing has gone waste. This has burdened the farmers who have already taken huge loans, but they have no source to repay without crops," Tiwari told IANS.

He added that many farmers are on the verge of starvation in the face of government unconcern and monsoon failure this year, which has added to the losses of last year's floods, and unseasonal rains and hailstorm damage in March-April.

The protestors submitted a memorandum to the Yavatmal district authorities and plan to intensify their agitation during the forthcoming 10-day Ganesh festival, said Tiwari.

Barring this, the 68th Independence Day was celebrated with patriotic fervour all over the state amidst tight security.