Jai Kisan Andolan launches helpline number for farmers

With two consecutive drought years leading to distress among the farming community, Yogendra Yadav-led Jai Kisan Andolan, a peasants' rights movement, on Sunday launched a helpline number for farmers to share their issues.

"Jai Kisan Andolan will act as a carrier for the voice of rural India and assist it in reaching the whole country and those in power," Jai Kisan Movement (Swaraj Abhiyan) said in a statement.

A helpline number -- 011-66977663 -- has been released for the farmers and rural people, where the problems being faced by villagers can be recorded," it said.

It said that the government never pays heed to the farmer's issues, "which always goes unheard".

"We will appeal to the farmers via mediums of calls, press releases and pamphlets to communicate their problems to the Prime Minister during this campaign," it said.

All the information received by us during this time will be made public on April 24, it said.

"At a time when the the country is witnessing a serious agrarian crisis, Jai Kisan Andolan is making an attempt to use such opportunities to bring forward the grave problems being faced by rural India and build pressure through the masses to solve the problem of farmers and villagers," it added.