Long march called off after govt accepted demands: Nawale

Nashik: The long march, which began on Feb 24 from Rajur village in Akole taluka under the leadership of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and CITU workers' union, was called off on Friday after state govt agreed to the demands, AIKS state secretary Ajit Nawale said."The march has ended on a positive note with govt approving a salary hike of Rs 2,000 for part-time health attendants and Rs 1,000 for school nutrition workers, as recommended in 2024. In addition, govt has ordered a survey to ensure that water from the Bhandardara dam is made available to tribal farmers for drinking and irrigation through a government scheme," Nawale said.Farmers, health attendants, construction workers and midday meal workers from north Maharashtra and parts of Marathwada participated in the march, which was planned to cover 148km from Rajur village to the district headquarters in Ahilyanagar. After covering 58km over three days and advancing toward Loni in Rahata taluka — the hometown of district guardian minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil — the march was called off."Five ministers, including Vikhe Patil and education minister Dada Bhuse, held discussions with us. In the final videoconference today (Friday), they confirmed that govt had accepted our demands and provided relief to people across the state. We are satisfied with the outcome," Nawale said, adding that govt made a significant decision to extend mediclaim coverage for construction workers by including medicine expenses, which were previously restricted to surgeries.He said while several demands were accepted in earlier meetings, the financial provisions for salary hikes required cabinet-level discussion and approval from the CM — clearance that has now been granted.