There has been an unreasonable delay in providing insurance assistance to the drought-affected farmers under the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme in Bargarh district.
The repeated appeals from farmers to insurance companies and the district administration have proved futile. In protest, a large number of farmers blocked the Sambalpur-Raipur NH at Sohela on Friday.
The Sohela-Padampur Biju Expressway was also blocked. As a result, vehicular communications from Sohela to Bargarh and Chhattisgarh to Padampur was disrupted.
A large number of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the highway for hours. The agitators demanded immediate payment of the crop insurance premium to the farmers.
The agitation, led by the Farmers’ Development Forum, has brought together a large number of farmers under its umbrella. The agitation is being led by farmer leader Mana Majhi.
