The Akhil Bharat Kisan Sabha (ABKS) is working to get the price control clause added to the Seeds Bill, 2004, ABKS vice-president Kolli Nageswara Rao said on Monday. He argued that the clauses added to the Bill in 2006 by a Parliamentary Standing Committee should not be removed.
Addressing a press conference at Palme Dutt Bhavan, the CPI city office on Monday, Mr. Nageswara Rao said that speakers at an all-party roundtable on the Bill held in Hyderabad on Sunday spoke in favour of adding the price control clause.
The all-party meeting was presided over by Kisan Congress president M. Kodanda Reddy. Minister for Agriculture N. Raghuveera Reddy said that the State government would endorse the addition of the price control clause in the Bill.
Former Agriculture Minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao, former Vice-Chancellor of Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University M.V. Rao, Commissioner for Agriculture Sunil Sharma, State Rythu Sangham (affiliated to CPI) president K. Ramakrishna, general secretary Nallamala Venkateswara Rao, State Rythu Sangam (affiliated to CPI-M) president Krishna Reddy expressed their support to the addition of the price control clause to the Bill. Mr. Nageswara Rao said that as part of the efforts, amendments to the Seeds Bill would be proposed and the ABKS would submit a memorandum to Chief Minister.
