Demand for Loan without Interest and Monthly Pension Intensifies Among Farmers amid Lockdown

The outbreak of the Coronavirus has locked down the whole nation till May 17. The situation of lockdown is pushing the country's economy to the limit. The farmer community is also facing problems in their activities. The agriculture industry employs more than half of the country and these hard times are pushing them at their worst as their products are not being sold timely due to this lockdown. Not only the lockdown but unseasonal rains and hail storms in February and March had also caused a huge amount of crop damage.

While the government is trying hard to normalize the situation by introducing several relief measures for the community, farmers are raising more and more demands for their betterment. Many farmer organizations and political parties have also written letters to draw the government’s attention towards the situation of farmers help them.

The labor union and CPI have written a letter to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, demanding employment opportunities for the migrant laborers living in the state. Not only has this, a guarantee of Rs 400 per day wages and 300 working days in a year also been demanded through this letter.

The labor union demands that every labor and farmer family should be given 35 kg of grain per month, including a pension of Rs 2,000 per month, as long as the lockdown stays. The union also demands schemes on loans for poor peasant laborers like interest-free loans should be given. The minimum honorarium to all contractors, outsourcers, educators, employment servants, Anganwadi, Asha Bahu, cook, etc. should be Rs 18,000.

Those laborers and farmers who have reached 60 years of age should be given a monthly pension of Rs 10,000. Along with this, there has been a demand for providing free electricity for irrigation, etc.