Salt Workers

The Centre on Monday modified the guidelines for transfer of government-owned salt lands, providing for online auction under which the private sector can participate in case there are no takers from CPSEs, or states at the applicable rates. As per the revised guidelines, the land can be allocated for welfare measures, such as slum re-development, affordable housing and PM-Awas Yojana, and for the purpose of schools and colleges, lands can be transferred to CPSEs (central public sector enterprises), states and their enterprises at 25 per cent of the circle rate. These norms were issued in supersession of the internal policy guidelines-2012, after the approval of the Cabinet. "Online auction with the participation of private parties may be held in case CPSEs, state governments or their PSEs are not willing to take such lands at the applicable rates," the guideline said. The reserve price for such land parcel will be fixed through an approved valuer with reference to the circle rate .

Salt pan workers on Friday protested against notices issued to them by the forest department for eviction from a wildlife sanctuary in Little Rann of Kutch (LRK) in Gujarat and submitted a memorandum to the collector of Surendranagar. A part of the LRK, which is a salt marsh, falls in Surendranagar district and is protected as a wild ass sanctuary. "More than 400 Agariyas, or salt farmers, gathered outside the district collector's office at Patdi here and submitted a memorandum and raised slogans against the move by the state forest department to evict them. They also accused the forest department of damaging and confiscating their solar panels used to make salt," an official said. The salt farmers have sought that the state government protect their traditional livelihood and have alleged only small farmers were being targeted, while bigger units were left untouched, he said. The memorandum of the NGO Agariya Heet Rakshak Manch marked for state forest minister Mulu Bera claimed the

Production hit due to delayed season estimated 15%, lockdown impacted some harvesting

Saltmakers are in a hurry to open the accounts in order to salvage production

Nirmala Sitharaman said the Centre, through the Salt Commission's Organisation, is conducting a number of activities for the welfare of salt workers