The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Want our vote? Include us in poll manifesto’

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Thursday, Apr 10, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Want our vote? Include us in poll manifesto’

Special Correspondent

Separate budget for agricultural sector demanded
‘Agriculture should be given industry status’

BANGALORE: It looks like political parties cannot get away with making vague poll promises to farmers this time. Learning from bitter experiences, some of the farmers’ organisations have cautioned political parties that they will boycott them in the coming Assembly elections if they do not spell out concrete proposals for the welfare of farmers. They want a separate manifesto for the agricultural sector.

The State Sugarcane Growers’ Association, the National Sugarcane Growers’ Association and Tur Dal Growers’ Association are among those who have decided to analyse the poll manifesto of each of the political parties and create awareness among the people about their worth. Addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Wednesday, farmers’ leaders and representatives of the organisations — Kuruburu Shanthkumar, K. Prabhakara Reddy, Basavaraj Ingin and Basavaraj Tambake — said that they would appeal to farmers to desist from supporting political parties that fail to come out with concrete proposals for farmers’ welfare and agricultural development. Their main demand: a separate budget for the agriculture sector, both at the State and national level. They also demand that agriculture should be given the status of an industry and that it should be included in the joint list of subjects of the State and the Union Government. Mr. Shanthkumar wondered why industrial status could not be given to agriculture when 60 per cent of the people are working in the agricultural sector.

They demanded representation to farmers’ associations in the government bodies which are looking into farm policies, farm produce prices and management of agricultural affairs.

Other demands included implementation of the recommendations of the agricultural commission and extending farm loans at an interest rate of 4 per cent.

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