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‘Farmers asked about caste for fertilizer purchase on Centre portal’
Oppn criticizes Central govt portal in Maha Assembly; CM assures remedy
First India Bureau
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Mumbai: Opposition members on Friday alleged in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly that farmers in Sangli district of the state were being asked to mention their caste on a Union government’s online portal for the purchase of fertilizers.
This prompted Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to assure rectification in the system.
Shinde said the Central government will be asked to remove the column on the portal where farmers are required to mention their caste. His intervention came after Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar raised the issue in the Lower House of the state legislature, saying that farmers in Sangli were being asked to mention their caste before the purchase of fertilizers through the Centre’s portal.
In the updated version of the portal, there is a category for buyers
PROTEST OVER FARMERS’ ISSUES ON MUMBAI-AGRA HWY DISRUPTS TRAFFIC
Nashik (PTI): Traffic on the Mumbai-Agra national highway in Nashik district was disrupted for an hour on Friday due to farmer-centric issues, officials said.
The protesters, who spilled onto the busy carriageway at Chandwad, demanded a minimum support price for onion, immediate assessment of losses due to recent unseasonal rains and compensation to farmers and a reduction in fuel prices.
where their caste is asked, he said. Stating that the por- tal is operated by the Central government, senior minister Sudhir
Mungantiwar said the column that asks for the caste of the farmers will be deleted. He also criticized the Opposition for making a mountain out of a molehill.
Congress leader Nana Patole took a strong objection to Mungantiwar’s remarks and targeted the government for asking farmers their caste before supplying fertilizers to them.