KATHMANDU, APRIL 29

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has directed the concerned ministry to address the demands put forth by a farmer Shreeram Ghimire of Nuwakot district.

The farmer has been staging a hunger strike in Kathmandu putting forth demands to address the problems of farmers.

Ghimire has been staging the hunger strike since April 18 at Bhugol Park in Kathmandu, asking the government to fulfil key demands such as ensuring timely fertilisers for farmers, providing agricultural tools at subsidised price, providing loan at minimum interest, among others.

In line with this, Prime Minister Dahal inquired about Ghimire's health condition and instructed the authorities concerned to address the demands through Chief Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi and Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Govinda Sharma, as per the Office of the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, the government team met Ghimire at Basantapur, where he is on strike.

The government has also formed a talks team.

However, no agreement has been reached on Ghimire's demands.

National Human Rights Commission has directed the government to take prompt action to save Ghimire's life. It said Ghimire's blood sugar and oxygen levels had depleted and immediate action was required to save his life.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 30, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.