Farmer Agitation Hits Life in CG

Life on Wednesday remains paralysed across Chhattisgarh, where thousands of agitating farmers took to the streets blocking roads and highways in a day long protest called to push for a rise in minimum support price offered by the government for paddy.

Correspondents said the agitation hit life in all 18 districts as buses remained off the roads and schools, cinema halls and petrol pumps downed shutters and pulled back their gates.

The government, this year, is procuring paddy at 1,577 centres across the state from about one million farmers at Rs.950 a quintal for common grade paddy and Rs.980 for grade-A yield.

The farmers are pressing for an at least Rs. 270 per quintal bonus.