MANISH GUPTA
Ranchi, Sept 13: The 12,000-odd Krishak Mitras (Farmer’s Friends) in Jharkhand have gone on an indefinite strike after the Hemant Soren government, in its Monday meeting, did not accept their long-standing demand of a monthly honorarium.
“We work round the year and not only for the agriculture department but for many other departments. Yet we do not get any basic monthly income,” Jharkhand Krishak Mitra Mahasangh State President Shashi Kumar Bhagat told lagatar24.com.
Moreover, Bhagat was expecting the government to announce a minimum monthly honorarium at par with the Rs 225 per day wage under job guarantee scheme MGNREGA. However, the government did double the annual incentive from Rs 12,000 to Rs 24,000.
“The government has hiked the incentive by Rs 1,000 per month for expenses towards copy, pen and bag. But this annual pay comes after long delays. Not to talk about 2022, many districts are yet to receive the incentive for 2021 and some for 2020 as well.
“Getting a monthly honorarium will ensure a regular income for our livelihood. We went to present our demand at the meeting yesterday. But we were not allowed in,” Bhagat said about the meeting called by Chief Minister Hemant Soren to discuss drought.
He said that apart from doing their job to promote Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA), they also work for disaster management, soil conservation, drought, elections, Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana, and MGNREGA, among others.
Notably, there are about 12,000 Krishak Mitras currently in the state and about 4,000 such posts are vacant. Each Kirshak Mitra guides the farmers in two revenue villages. Jharkhand has more than 32,000 villages. All have decided to stop work and stage protests.
Krishak Mitras burnt the effigies of Chief Minister Soren and Agriculture Minister Badal Patralekh at several places across the state. “The government has given no assurance to consider our demand for monthly pay. Our strike will continue till it is met,” he said.
