The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : `Amend laws to make silk industry competitive'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 17, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mysore

`Amend laws to make silk industry competitive'

By Our Staff Correspondent

S.B. Dandin (third from right), Director of Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute, explaining about silk cocoons to the Union Minister of State for Planning, M.V. Rajashekaran (second from right), at the 'Reshme Krishi Mela' in Mysore on Tuesday.

MYSORE, NOV. 16. The Union Minister of State for Planning, M.V. Rajashekaran, on Tuesday said that laws governing various aspects of sericulture had to be amended to make the industry competitive in the era of the World Trade Organisation.

The Minister was speaking after inaugurating the Reshme Krishi Mela organised here by the Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute (CSRTI).

He said that the demand to amend the Karnataka Sericulture Act, 1959 that governed the production of cocoon, silk yarn, silk weaving, and other related areas had been pending for a long time.

A comprehensive amendment of the Act would safeguard the interests of those involved in sericulture, he added.

In the light of globalisation and liberalisation, the Minister said that it was imperative to make laws and develop a market system to protect the industry.

A favourable environment had to be created for the industry's growth by providing facilities to the farmers, he said.

Royal patronage

The industry had received royal patronage since the period of Tipu Sultan.

Successive rulers of the region had promoted the industry by taking steps for its growth.

"It has become imperative for farmers to develop and implement financial, technical, and market related developments in sericulture. This will help them develop yarn to match international standards at an affordable price," Mr. Rajashekaran said.

Giving an illustration, the Minister said, "The hybrid variety grown in India does not match international standards and, as a result, Indian silk weavers prefer Chinese silk over Indian silk. To prevent this, farmers should resort to bivoltine varieties of silk will would enable production of international quality silk at an affordable price."

Development programme

Referring to the Catalytic Development Programme (CDP), Mr. Rajashekaran said that farmers had been put into trouble, as the State Government had not released the matching grant.

He requested the Government to release funds under the programme.

He said that while the Union Government had released its share of Rs. 25,000 for individual farmers, the State Government was yet to release the remainder.

Stressing the importance of sericulture in Karnataka's economy, he said that the industry supported a large number of people in the rural areas.

The financial assistance announced to promote the industry would also help empower women in the rural areas, he added.

Silk Technology Mission

The Minister also announced that the Union Ministry of Planning was actively considering the report submitted on Silk Technology Mission.

The mission statement had been submitted by the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Kiran Dhingra; the former member secretary of Central Silk Board, Joy Oommen; and the director of CSRTI, S.B. Dandin.

He also said that he would strive to ensure the implementation of the mission.

Felicitated

A six-member team comprising Thyagarajan, B. Nataraju, Balavenkata Subbaiah, S.D. Sharma, T. Selvakumar, and Chandrashekar was felicitated for their inventions to prevent silkworm diseases. Another team comprising Shakeel Ahmed, Jayaraj, Hiriyanna, P.K. Das, K. Bhogesha, G.B. Singh, and K.M. Vijayakumari was also felicitated. A team comprising Nagendra Prasad, Mala V. Rajan, and N.B. Choudhary won awards for the mulberry health drink. Innovative and progressive farmers from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu were felicitated.

The Lok Sabha member from Mysore, C.H. Vijayashankar; agricultural scientists Dwarkanath and M. Mahadevappa; the member secretary, Central Silk Board, H. Bhaskar; the Sericulture Commissioner, Arvind Jannu; and a representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency, Yomagachi; and Mr. Dandin, were present.

More than 2,000 sericulturists, including 250 women entrepreneurs, from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, are participating in the Reshme Krishi Mela, organised to popularise modern methods of sericulture and create awareness on various aspects of sericulture.

`Krishi Melas have bridged the laboratory-land gap': Page 4

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section

`Amend laws to make silk industry competitive'

Centre urged to increase support price for sugarcane

Lecture series on Sankaracharya's teachings

Cellphones recovered

Eye ward inaugurated at Vivekananda Hospital