Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the government was quite sensitive and positive towards the issues raised by thousands of farmers and tribals who have entered the city after a 180-km walk from Nashik. Nearly, 75,000 farmers have marched in Mumbai demanding implementations of Forest Right Act 2008, Dr Swaminathan commission report for fair prices and complete loan waiver among others.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, who is scheduled to meet the representatives of farmers and tribals at 1 pm, assured the state assembly that the government was committed to resolving issues raised by farmers and tribals in a time-bound manner.  Their demands include implementation of the Swaminathan Committee report, which mandates that farmers be paid one-and-a-half times the cost of production and the Minimum Support Price be fixed for their produce. Besides, they are pressing for unconditional loan waiver and return of forest land.

Fadnavis told the assembly that 95% of those camping at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan are tribals and “technically” not farmers, even as thousands of protesters wait to meet him on several demands. He informed the house that the Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan had met them before they had started their march from Nashik but the latter was determined to proceed.

Chief Minister said he has formed a committee with the concerned ministers to sympathetically look at the issues and find a solution in a time-bound manner. The committee comprises Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, Agriculture Minister Pandurang Phundkar, Cooperation Minister Subhash Deshmukh, Tribal Affairs Minister Vishnu Savra, Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan and Public Works Minister Eknath Shinde.