The Hindu : Karnataka News : `Rural areas neglected'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 04, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

`Rural areas neglected'

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, FEB. 3. The Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) Government is pro-urban and it has not made any effort to implement the common minimum programme for people in rural areas, G.V. Srirama Reddy (Communist Party of India-Marxist) said in the Legislative Assembly today.

Speaking on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address to the joint session of the legislature, Mr. Reddy said the production of foodgrains in the State declined from 86 lakh tonnes in 1994 to 81.19 lakh tonnes in 2004. According to experts in the Planning Commission, the State should produce 142 lakh tonnes of foodgrains a year to feed its population of more than five crores. A large number of poor people in rural areas are facing the problem of food security, and there is no mention in the Governor's address about providing minimum wages to agricultural labourers, Mr. Reddy added.

He said adequate employment opportunities are not being created for educated youth in villages. He urged the Government to stop its "soft attitude" towards the software industry and concentrate on creating employment opportunities in agriculture and allied sectors.

Mr. Reddy opposed the creation of power supplies companies and said the new companies have neither improved the quality of power supply nor increased the revenue. The Government might sell these companies to private parties, he said.

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