On 8th day of hunger strike, farmer seeks total loan waiver, action against polluting firms

On the eighth day of his hunger strike in Kangaon village, farmer Bhanudas Shinde demanded a total loan waiver for farmers across Maharashtra and called for action against pollution caused by cement factories. Shinde, a member of the Rayat Kranti Sanghatna, has placed ten demands before the state government, vowing to continue his fast until his grievances are addressed.

Despite the government's recent loan waiver announcement, Shinde criticized the conditions attached to it, arguing that the waiver should be unconditional and that farmers with pending dues should receive a Rs 2 lakh assistance grant. The village's pollution, he claimed, comes from two nearby cement companies that have not obtained necessary permissions.

Shinde's organization has also demanded the government halt all mandatory loan recoveries for one year, cancel CIBIL score requirements, restart stalled water supply schemes, return unused land from the Ujani Dam project to its original owners, and remove agricultural products from the Essential Commodities Act. State Agriculture Minister Dattaray Bharne has assured to meet with the organization soon, to which Shinde indicated he is eagerly awaiting.

The group has also sent a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging his prompt intervention in addressing the farmers' and society's economic struggles.