Positive about fulfilling farmers' demands: Devendra Fadnavis

Indicating that the ongoing farmer agitation might end soon, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday the state government was "positive" about fulfilling the demands of the farmers. "Since the first day of the Morcha, we tried to discuss various issues with them. But they were firm on taking out the March," Fadnavis said. "We're positive in fulfilling (farmers') demands," he added.

The statement comes even as a delegation of farmers is meeting Fadnavis to get their grievances addressed. Around 30,000 farmers, protesting against the BJP-led government had reached Mumbai early Monday morning after being launched from Nashik on Tuesday by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) - a peasants' front of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

The Maharashtra CM had on Sunday night invited the farmers for talks and even set up a committee of ministers to address the issues raised by them. The farmers were scheduled to stage a protest outside the Assembly demanding fair remuneration, loan waiver and non- implementation of demands promised by the government. The outcome of the meeting will decide the fate of the planned protest now. The 180-km foot march started with participation of about 12,000 farmers and the number soon reached 30,000.

Complete loan waiver and profit of 1.5 times the input cost for all major agriculture commodities are the major demands of the AIKS. The agitating farmers are also demanding a compensation of Rs 40,000 per acre for destruction of crops due to hailstorm and pink-worm, allocation of forest land under cultivation to farmers and implementation of Forest Rights Act. Positive about fulfilling farmers' demands: Devendra Fadnavis