The Hindu : More relief for farmers in the offing

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

More relief for farmers in the offing

By S. Rajendran

Bangalore Sept. 30. The daylong visit by the Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi, to parts of Bangalore district is likely to usher in yet another relief package for the drought-hit farmers in the State.

Sources in the Government and the Congress told The Hindu here today that Ms. Gandhi appreciated the steps taken by the S.M. Krishna Government to provide relief to farmers, and suggested that it think of implementing one more relief package which could provide direct benefit to all farmers. The relief could either be waiver of interest on agricultural loans obtained by farmers in the past few years, including those obtained for the kharif crop in the past few months, or grant of fresh loans at subsidised interest rates.

It was said that Ms. Gandhi had a one-to-one interaction with the Chief Minister during the course of her journey to Kanakapura taluk from the Bangalore airport. Ms. Gandhi arrived by a special aircraft from Indore at 11 a.m., and spent most of the time till her departure to New Delhi at 7 p.m. with families of farmers in Kanakapura, Channapatna, and Ramanagaram taluks.

The Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, is learnt to have explained to the Congress President the steps taken by the State Government to provide succour to farmers. The alleged shoddy treatment meted out to the State by the Union Government is also believed to have been discussed. Ms. Gandhi reportedly assured Mr. Krishna that she would take up with the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, the need for providing a special package for the State to overcome drought. Ms. Gandhi wrote to Mr. Vajpayee some time ago to consider a relief package for Karnataka, and is likely to take up the matter once again. All senior members of the S.M. Krishna Cabinet, including M. Mallikarjun Kharge, N. Dharam Singh, and H.K. Patil, the KPCC President, B. Janardhana Poojary, and the former KPCC presidents, Allum Veerabhadrappa and V.S. Koujalgi, accompanied Ms. Gandhi during her visit to villages.

The Congress general secretaries in charge of Karnataka, Vayalar Ravi and Irshad Baig, and the party's State unit General Secretary, Prakash Rathod, were present. The visit enabled Ms. Gandhi to oversee the implementation of the Government's midday meal programme for schoolchildren, and the Stree Shakti programme launched by the party.

Sources in the KPCC told The Hindu that Ms. Gandhi's visit to various parts of the Kanakapura Lok Sabha Constituency was largely aimed at conveying to the people that the Congress cared for the welfare of the farmers more than the MP and former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda. They said that while Mr. Gowda had always claimed that he was the "real representative" of farmers, and that the ruling party had failed to respond to the needs of farmers, the Congress selected Kanakapura since Mr. Deve Gowda had not visited the family of even farmer who committed suicide in his constituency, according to the Congress.

Ms. Gandhi made several unscheduled stops, including at Anedoddi in Kanakapura taluk, and Gopahalli in Ramanagaram taluk, to hand over cheques to the families of farmers who committed suicide.

This was intended to convey to farmers that the Government would grant compensation to families which were eligible for it.

Congress sources indicated that the Government and the party would launch a "reach out" programme for farmers. They said all top party leaders and ministers, including the Chief Minister, would visit villages by road and avoid helicopter visits as far as possible.

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More relief for farmers in the offing