AIKS Suspends “Vehicle Long March” After Government Assurances on Farmers’ and Workers’ Demands The AIKS-led “Vehicle Long March” from Akole to Mumbai, launched on 26 October, was suspended at Shahapur late on 27 October following over two hours of talks with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other ministers. Over 12,000 peasants and 1,000 vehicles from 20 districts of Maharashtra had taken part in the march. The state government gave concrete assurances on several demands, including drought relief beyond NDRF norms, early release of the two pending instalments under the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi scheme, and the necessary legislative measures and issuance of government resolutions for vesting forest land, varkas land, grazing land (gayran), temple trust land and house site land in the names of the cultivators. The government also assured the formation of a study group, including representatives of the Kisan Sabha, to examine government procurement of bal hirda (a forest produce), and a positive decision on restoring benefits under the Ladli Behna scheme for 9.2 million eligible women who had been denied them due to incomplete KYC formalities and other unspecified reasons. Assurances were also given on restarting the Mediclaim scheme for construction workers, implementing the honorarium hike for mid-day meal workers, clearing pending payments to PESA mobilisers, and addressing the demands of ASHA and Anganwadi workers and other working people. A follow-up meeting with ministers will be held on 4 November to review the implementation of the accepted demands. Both Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, and four other ministers Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Girish Mahajan and Dattatray Bharne, attended the meeting along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The AIKS delegation included National President Ashok Dhawale, National Joint Secretary Ajit Nawale, State President Yashwant Zade, State Secretary Umesh Deshmukh, State Vice President Vinod Nikole, MLA, former State President J P Gavit, and other senior leaders. The AIKS announced that it will continue the struggle to ensure that every assurance is translated into action and that the remaining demands of farmers, workers, women and Adivasis are met.