In a bid to woo rain-hit farmers, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday began his 15 kilometers long foot march in Amravati district of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra amidst hot weather conditions.
According to Skymet Meteorology Division in India, the maximum temperature in Amravati had already touched 39°C when Gandhi scion had started his padyatra around 10 am. It is expected to reach 42°C by afternoon, making it extremely hot for him.
Amravati district in Vidarbha has reported the highest number of farmer suicides this season. Gandhi will be meeting farmers who have suffered massive crop damage due to unseasonal rain earlier this year. He is also visiting families of the farmers who have committed suicide.
Rahul Gandhi started his journey from Gunji Village from where he is expected to visit Dhamangaon railway tehsil, Rajana village and Tonglabad Village. With this march, he has upped the ante against the controversial Land Acquisition Bill, according to which farmers’ consent is no more required for acquiring the land.
Thousands of farmers have taken their lives since last year on the pretext of drought in 2014, followed by unseasonal rains earlier this year destroying a major portion of standing crops.
Moreover, the government has failed in setting up a proper crop insurance system, which is the only way through which they can cover up the loss to an extent. The biggest reason for the failure of the crop insurance scheme is the lack of awareness, as maximum number of farmers do not even know about the existence of such scheme.
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