A non-descript village Yajali in Karlapalem mandal near the coastal town of Bapatla was on Thursday chosen as the place to launch the social and political movement by former IPS officer V.V Lakshminarayana.
The village, where farmers had experimented with natural farming and villagers renovated the school with their own money, drew the attention of the Maharashtra-cadre IPS officer, who quit the coveted civil service to launch the movement.
Stopping short of declaring his agenda or announcing plans to join any political outfit, Mr. Lakshminarayana said at a public address he would work to protect the interests of the farmers.
Profitable exercise
“It has been a passion for me to work in areas of rural development. During my stint in Maharashtra, I urged the government to post me at the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) but the government did not post me there citing that I am in police service. But I assure you, if I become a Minister for Agriculture or even I don’t become one, I will strive to improve the lives of the farmers,’’ Mr. Lakshminarayana said.
“The farmer is next only to God as he provides food and has the lion’s heart of a king. Farming should be made into a profitable exercise and farmers should look at some models of cooperative farming in Maharashtra,” he said.
The former bureaucrat, who had been giving hints at joining public life, said he was impressed with people like Vilas Shinde in Maharashtra, who had started a farmers’ producer organisation providing farmers seeds and fertilizers.
Farmers should produce seeds and supply in the village, he said.
He also suggested that farming could be taken in cities too.
Developers who were constructing gated communities could adopt villages from where farm fresh vegetables could be directly supplied to the homes.
