Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) today held protests for adequate relief and compensation of farmers and implementation of 'One Rank One Pension' scheme here.
Hundreds of ex-servicemen and farmers led by JKPCC Senior Vice President, Sham Lal Sharma assembled at Vijaypur and demonstrated against the Centre and state government over the treatment meted out to the ex-servicemen and farmers.
"We are protesting to seek redressal of demands of the agitating ex-servicemen throughout the country for the implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme and the suffering farmer community who have been deprived of relief and compensation for the losses suffered by them due to heavy rains," Sharma told reporters.
"We urge the Governor to take into account the strong resentment prevailing among the ex-servicemen and farmers over the indifferent attitude of the State and the Centre and seek early redressal of their grievances", he said.
The protesters submitted a memorandum to the authorities detailing the above demands, including the removal of VAT from CSD items.
On the OROP issue, the Congress leader said that the NDA government is adopting an indifferent and unsympathetic attitude towards "this most justified demands" of the ex-servicemen in the country.
The long pending demand was considered by the UPA government which started implementing the provision in a phased manner and thrice raised the pension of ex-servicemen substantially during its tenure, Sharma said, adding that BJP is, however, dragging its feet on the issue.
The JKPCC leader said that the party will seek Governor's intervention in asking the state government "to exempt VAT on CSD items in the state, as it is causing great burden on the ex-servicemen in view of high price rise of essential commodities during the one year of BJP regime at the Centre".
On the issue of relief to farmers, he said that the Mufti Sayeed government has failed to pay attention towards the huge loss to the crops suffered by the farmers in the state, especially in Jammu region on account of unprecedented rains, since September last.
"We strongly lodge our protest over the policy of the state and the Centre towards the farmers and demand that the authority should immediately grant adequate relief and compensation to the affected farmers besides provision of free ration and subsidized seeds and fertilizers to them", he said.
