The Hindu : Karnataka News : From the Districts

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Saturday, Jan 01, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

From the Districts

JD(S) vows to fight for farmers

MANGALORE DEC. 31. N. Thippanna, Janata Dal (Secular) State unit president, said here on Friday that although his party is a partner in the coalition Government, it will not tolerate any injustice to farmers. Mr. Thippanna, who was addressing party workers here, said the Janata Dal (Secular) brought to the notice of the Government excess land acquired from farmers for the Bangalore-Mysore Express Highway Project. Although the Government acquired 6,500 acres for the highway project, it has been found that about 2,500 acres of more land has been acquired for the highway project. Y.S.Y. Datta, party leader, said regional parties had a better future in the country. Mahima Patel, MLA; K. Vasanth Bangera, party's Dakshina Kannada unit president; and K. Amarnath Shetty, former minister, spoke.

Social workers get award

CHAMARAJANAGAR Dec. 31. The Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra, B.R. Hills, has selected social worker Rathnamma of Jenu Kuruba community in Kanthana Hadi of H.D. Kote taluk and D. Mahadev of Chellipalyam in Kollegal for this year's Vivekananda Seva Award. Rathnamma has worked for forming self-help groups and opening night schools for tribal children. The organisation selects a man and a woman social worker for the award, which is presented on January 10, the birthday of Swami Vivekananda.

Krishna offers puja

CHAMARAJANAGAR DEC. 31. The Maharastra Governor, S.M. Krishna, has visited M.M. Hills on Thursday and performed the puja to Male Mahadeshwara. Mr. Krishna arrived at M.M. Hills from Bangalore by helicopter. The Deputy Commissioner, Harsh Gupta; the Superintendent of Police, Raveendra Prasad; and the temple authorities received Mr. Krishna. The temple Administrative Officer, Ningaiah, appealed to Mr. Krishna to get the permission of the Centre to supply Cauvery water in M.M. Hills. The former minister M. Mahadev; the Santhemaralli MLA, Druvanarayan; the MLC D. Made Gowda; and the former Chamarajanagar MP Siddaraju, were present.

`Rescind loan recovery order'

Madikeri Dec. 31. The Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha on Friday urged the Government to withdraw the controversial order asking officials to recover loans from farmers in coffee growing districts of Kodagu, Chikmaglur and Hassan. The sangha said in a press release that because of the economic liberalisation and globalisation, farmers were in distress. Coffee prices have plummeted. The growers suffered a lot because of drought that prevailed in the State for three years. The Government promised to give concession to growers in the form of interest waiver but resorted to coercive methods to recover loans. The sangha will fight for concessions in interest, apart from giving loans at an interest rate of 6 per cent, higher subsidy, remunerative price for coffee and re-phasing of loans and waiver of loans of small and medium farmers.

NHB to boost horticulture

BIJAPUR DEC. 31. The National Horticulture Board (NHB), a subsidiary of Union Agriculture Ministry, has formulated many programmes to boost horticulture entrepreneurship in rural areas. Dhal Singh, Assistant Director of the board, Karnataka Zone, said here on Friday that horticulturists were unaware of the schemes. They may be production related units or of processing, the board has been offering subsidy up to 25 per cent with a ceiling of Rs. 50 lakhs a unit. There is dearth of cold storages, pre-cooling plants, dehydration plants, controlled and modified atmosphere units, refrigerator vans, and packaging industry in the area horticulture crops are grown. This is why horticulturists are not getting lucrative price. The office-bearers of Grape Growers' Association, Bijapur Zone, B.M. Kokare, K.H. Mumbareddy and A.S. Biradar, were present.

Tributes paid to Rao

TUMKUR DEC. 31. G. Parameshwar, MLA and former minister; T.B. Jayachandra, former minister; S.P. Muddahanume Gowda, president, and N.R. Jagadheesh, vice-president of Tumkur District Congress Committee; and R. Narayan and N. Veeranna Gowda, former MLAs, paid rich tributes to the former prime minister, late P.V. Narasimha Rao, at a condolence meeting organised by here on Friday. A man of few words, they said, Narasimha Rao will be remembered for leading the party at times of crisis after the killing of Rajiv Gandhi. The nation will always be grateful to Narasimha Rao for ushering in economic reforms. Earlier at the meeting, the leaders condoled tsunami victims. The Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, was praised for visiting the affected areas. Mr. Jagadheesh said grain merchants of Tumkur have offered to donate grains for relief work. He will collect and transport the grains to relief camps.

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