In Brief — Pune

Protest against tariff hikeKolhapur: Thousands of farmers would resort to rasta-roko agitations at different points on the national highways...

Protest against tariff hike
Kolhapur: Thousands of farmers would resort to rasta-roko agitations at different points on the national highways passing from Kolhapur, Solapur, Sangli and Satara districts on Thursday to protest against the massive electricity tariff hike on agriculture pumps.

Speaking to reporters here, former State minister and Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) leader, N D Patil said that Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) had failed to withdraw the “unjust” power tariff despite earlier protest marches.

On the contrary, notices and warnings to disconnect electricity were issued to farmers, Patil lamented. Farmers had never demanded free electricity and had nothing to do with it, he said referring to Shiv Sena Supremo’s Bal Thackeray’s dictates to the SS-BJP Government on giving free power supply to the farmers.

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Instead, the government could at least withdraw the hike in tariff on agricultural pumps, Patil stressed.

Big firms rushing in, says Vikhe
Ahmednagar the Maharashtra government has received investment proposals worth Rs 2000 crore from multi-nationals after the recently concluded “Agro Advantage’ 98” conference, Agriculture Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil claimed.

Briefing newspersons here on the outcome of the whole exercise, Vikhe-Patil said that the government would chalk out an agricultural policy for the state for next 25 years, establishing a task force under the Agro-Industrial Corporation. Different segments in agricultural operations like fertilisers, seeds, pesticides, et al have been identified as priority sectors in view of the future agro-industrial development, he said.