PMO returns money-order of farmer who got pittance for onions

A money-order sent by a farmer in Maharashtra's Nashik district, who had got a princely sum of Rs 1,064 after selling 750 kg of onions, has been returned by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Sanjay Sathe, a farmer from Niphad tehsil of Nashik district, had sent Rs 1,064, his earnings from onion sale in the wholesale market, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 29 as a protest.

A few days ago, the local post office informed him that the money-order was not accepted. "I went to the office of India Post in Niphad Monday and received the amount of Rs 1,064," Sathe told PTI Wednesday. "My only intention was to prompt the government to take some steps to ease the financial stress farmers are suffering from because of the crashed prices," he said.

Sathe, who had taken his onion crop to Niphad wholesale market, had received a paltry rate of Rs 1.40 per kg. His act of donating the money to the disaster relief fund of the PMO by making a money-order had made headlines.

"I wanted to draw the government's attention to our problems. I am not associated with any political party," he said. "I hope the Union and state governments will take some steps so that onion growers earn more," he said.