Bangalore: Farmers and Dalit activists will burn copies of the Karnataka Agriculture Policy (2006) on January 11 in protest against its failure to address what they called the "real issues" of the agricultural sector.

Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha secretary G.C. Bayya Reddy told presspersons here on Tuesday that the policy proposed no concrete measures to tackle burning issues such as farmers suicides, decline in agricultural production and migration of agricultural labour. Veerasangiah of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha said that the policy was in line with a series of other "anti-farmer moves" of the Centre and the State, including Seed Bill and the proposed amendments to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act.

At the same time, a large section of farmers were losing arable land to business interests in the name of special economic zones (SEZs), he added. Karnataka Prantha Krishi Karmikara Sangha president Nityananda Swamy said the policy was nothing more than a "continuation of the globalisation process" and an effort to "sell the interests of farmers to multinational companies".

Alternative jobs

While the policy noted that the number of landless farm workers had gone up in the State, the Government was making no effort at providing alternative employment or even implementing the existing employment guarantee scheme, Mr. Swamy said.

In Bangalore, the protest would be held at Mysore Bank Circle at 11 a.m. on January 11. Members of two raitha sanghas, krishi karmika sangha, Akhila Bharat Kisan Sabha, Dalita Sangharsha Samiti and Karnataka Rajya Dalita Sangharsha Samiti will participate in the protest.

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