The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : UDF panel for subsidised power supply to farmers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 23, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

UDF panel for subsidised power supply to farmers

Special Correspondent

Recommends concession for farmers having up to 10 acres

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The UDF sub-committee on Agriculture has decided to recommend the supply of power free of cost or at subsidised rates for irrigating crops other than paddy.

Paddy cultivation already enjoys the supply of power at heavily subsidised rates. The sub-committee, chaired by Revenue Minister K. M. Mani which met here on Thursday, felt that farmers cultivating other crops too should receive this concession. The sub-committee's decision is to ask the Government to provide this concession to all farmers owning up to 10 acres of farmland.

Agriculture Minister K.R. Gouri, Minister for Cooperation M. V. Raghavan and MLAs K. C. Joseph and E. M. Augusty are among those on the sub-committee.

Mrs.Gouri reportedly wanted the sub-committee to include in its report a suggestion for the Government to declare a moratorium for six months on all farm loans not exceeding Rs.1 lakh. Doubts were expressed at the meeting on the practicability of this suggestion. The sub-committee will be meeting once again on January 3, 2006 to finalise its recommendations.

Another suggestion that came up at the meeting was that farmers having coconut plantations or areca plantations should be given a special assistance to remove diseased trees from their land holdings and plant disease-resistance varieties.

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