The Hindu : Karnataka News : Dharna staged against ‘anti-farmer’ policies

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Wednesday, Oct 15, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Dharna staged against ‘anti-farmer’ policies

Staff Correspondent

Agitators demand fair support price for crops

Sangha submits memorandum to deputy commissioner
Members allege the State is favouring industrialists

Voicing concern: Members of Bharatiya Kisan Sangha staging a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Chitradurga on Tuesday.

Chitradurga: Protesting against the State and Union Government’s “anti-farmers” policies and to prevail upon the Government to give higher prices to farmers, several members of District Unit of Bharatiya Kisan Sangha staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office and submitted a memorandum to him here on Tuesday.

In the memorandum, the sangha accused the State and the Union Government of acquiring fertile land from farmers under the pretext of setting up of Special Economic Zones (SEZ). In return, the farmers were not being paid adequate compensation against the land acquisition. To appease entrepreneurs and investors, the Government was drafting polices that were against the interests of the farmers, the memorandum said.

Quoting some of the Government policies, the memorandum said that the Government was giving tax exemption to SEZs for 10 years. For each SEZ, a minimum of 5,000 hectare land was being allotted of which the only 25 per cent of land would be used for setting up industries and the rest would be used for other purposes. Though the sangha was not against the SEZs, the memorandum said the Government must first ensure that the land given should be barren or non-cultivable and allot only that much land which is needed for setting up industries. The sangha also suggested that the SEZs should be set up in various parts of the State and not just around Bangalore.

The sangha suggested that the Government acquire farmers’ land on lease so that they could earn an annual profit instead of settling for a lower sum of money. Referring to the loss of onion, the sangha demanded that support price of Rs. 800 per quintal of onion be given.

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