The Hindu : Kerala News : 1,000 acres ready for coach factory, says Achuthanandan

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Kerala

1,000 acres ready for coach factory, says Achuthanandan

Staff Reporter

Says Union Budget offered only temporary relief
Claims it failed to address basic problems in farm sector

PALAKKAD: Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said the State government has completed all works to hand over 1,000 acres for setting up a rail coach factory at Kanjikode near here.

Inaugurating a new building of Cooperative College, Alathur, on Sunday, the Chief Minister said that Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad had fulfilled a three-decade-old dream of the people of Palakkad and the State for a rail coach factory. “The government will extent all assistance to Railways for setting up the coach factory that will bring industrial and economic development to the district and the State as a whole,” he said.

He said the railway budget was a relief to the people of the State as it reduced travel charges by 14 per cent. But the Union budget presented by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram provided only temporary relief. Though it offered succour to farmers in debt, it did not address basic problems of the farming community. It had no announcement for providing the much-needed remunerative price for farmers for their produce.

Because of the Centre’s liberal import policy, prices of agriculture produce crashed in the country. This put farmers in great hardship. In Kerala alone, farmers lost Rs.7,600 crore annually due to the crash in prices of agriculture produce, particularly cash crops such as coconut, cardamom, pepper, tea, coffee, etc. “Providing remunerative prices to farmers is of paramount importance. But the Finance Minister wants to continue the liberal import policy,” Mr. Achuthanandan said.

He said the cut in ration rice allotment to the State by the Central government resulted in the rise in price of rice. The Centre promised to release only another 10,000 tonnes annually. This would not solve the problem of shortage of rice in the State.

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