BJD To Launch Protest In 12 Districts From Jan 8

Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJD on Thursday announced that it will hold
protest across 12 districts of the state from January 8 to 17 to put
pressure on the Centre for increasing the Minimum Support Price (MSP)
of paddy.

“Demonstrations and protest meetings will be organised by the party
workers in all the blocks of 12 districts of the state, where paddy
procurement takes place, against the meagre hike in paddy MSP by Rs 80
per quintal”, said BJD general secretary Sanjay Das Burma in a press
meet here.

Condemning the statement made by Union Minister of State for
Agriculture Gajendra Singh Sekhawat that there is no proposal to
change the formula for determining MSPs at present, Sanjay said that
it has become clear that the Centre is not all serious about the
farmers’ issues in Odisha.

Two days ago, Union Minister of State for Agriculture had stated that
there is no proposal to change the formula for determining MSPs as the
same are fixed by the Centre for mandated crops, provides adequate
returns over all-India weighted average costs of production.