Uproar in Odisha Assembly over farmers' issues

The Odisha Assembly witnessed noisy scenes and uproar over farmers' issues for the second consecutive day today with the opposition Congress and BJP members stalling House proceedings in the morning.
The opposition members rushed to the well of the House as soon as it assembled for the question hour around 10.30 am. They shouted slogans, demanding a discussion on the plight of farmers in the state, prompting Deputy Speaker S Marandi to adjourn the House till noon.
The farmers in the state have suffered crops loss due to prolonged drought, pest attacks and unseasonal rain during the kharif season, this year.

The Congress members alleged that the BJD government did not do anything to stop the state-run "mandis" (market places) from exploiting the farmers during paddy procurement.
The BJP MLAs also attacked the government over distribution of crop insurance scheme benefits.
The saffron party legislators sought a statement from Cooperation Minister S N Patro and Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout on the issue.
Normalcy returned to the House in the second half of the day after Parliamentary Affairs Minister BK Arukha assured the legislators of a statement tomorrow by the cooperation minister.