Odisha farmers’ body holds convention in Delhi over ‘Price, Prestige, Pension’

Bhubaneswar: Navnirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS), a farmers’ body of Odisha, today held a national convention at Sansad Marg in New Delhi demanding price (a hiked minimum support price), prestige and pension for farmers.

Around 10,000 farmers from 22 states including 5,000 from Odisha joined the Rashtriya Kisan Mahasammelan, which was inaugurated by social activist Anna Hazare in the presence of NKS advisor Soumya Ranjan Patnaik and convener Akshay Kumar.

“We were earlier staging agitation in Odisha only. This time, we came to the national capital and with the presence of Anna Hazare, the issues raised by us will draw attention on national level. I am happy that farmers of other states extended their support to the national convention,” Patnaik said.

A memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be submitted by the farmers’ outfit at the end of the convention with a demand of resolving several issues of farmers of the country within six months. The NKS has warned to intensify the agitation if its demands are not met.

Worth mentioning, the NKS has been demanding hike of minimum support price (MSP) for paddy to Rs 5,000 per quintal and provision of pension for farmers.