Workers of Jai Vidarbha Party have demanded that the government should declare Vidarbha as wet drought area following severe damages to the crops owing to heavy rains. Soyabean crop has suffered 70 to 100 per cent damages while cotton, orange, sweet lemon and other crops also suffered heavy damages, causing anxiety to farmers as the crops had come to the harvesting stage.
Ram Newle, President of the party, said on Tuesday that the cultivators were expecting bumper crop but the rains in September and October washed away their dreams. The same situation had prevailed during the last two/three years, causing heavy financial losses to farmers.
He demanded that the government should extend a financial help of Rs 25,000 per acre to cotton, soyabean, paddy and other crops and Rs 50,000 per acre to orange, sweet lemon crops. He also demanded: Compensation to relatives of deceased due to snake bite, waiving off farmers loan, no electricity charges for agriculture pumps, getting crop insurance amount, making available loans for Rabi crops etc.
Newle warned that the workers would resort to agitation in the near future if the government failed to fulfil the demands. Mukesh Masurkar, Vishnu Ashtikar, Arun Kedar, Gulabrao Dhande, Tatyasaheb Mate, Rekha Nimje and Rajendra Satai also supported the demands.
