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Raipur, Feb 20 (IANS) A two-day nationwide strike called by major trade unions Wednesday hit iron ore mining and coal production in Chhattisgarh, officials said. Workers have stopped iron ore mining to protest against rising food prices and violation of labour laws, an official of the National Mineral Development Corp (NMDC) said over telephone. The iron ore mining was halted at NMDC's Kirandul and Bacheli complexes in Dantewada district. NMDC is India's largest iron ore miner and exporter in the public sector. It produces about 60,000 tonne of iron ore a day from the Dantewada mines. Reports from Korba confirmed that the strike had affected coal production at South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL)'s largest mine at Gevra as workers stayed away from work. The strike also affected insurance, banking and transport services across the state, officials said. But educational institutions in Raipur and in the industrial towns of Korba, Raigarh and Bhilai remained open. Trade unions are demanding concrete steps to contain inflation, generate employment, provide universal social security, and making the minimum wage Rs.10,000 a month along with daily allowance.
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