Given the success of ‘krishi hondas’ in not only protecting crops during severe drought but also ensuring good yield, the State government plans to extend the benefit to another 50,000 farmers by the end of the fiscal, said Minister for Agriculture Krishna Byre Gowda on Thursday.
Mr. Gowda, who was on a field visit to Kallahalli village in Hospete taluk to interact with a few beneficiaries, told presspersons that so far, around one lakh farmers have availed the benefits of krishi hondas (ponds of a certain dimension dug in the fields). “Another 30,000 krishi hondas are in various stages of completion and we want to add 20,000 more and take the total number of beneficiaries to 1.5 lakh before the end of this financial year,” he said.
The Minister said the government would continue to focus on popularising krishi hondas. “There has been a lot of demand for krishi hondas in districts with deficit rainfall, after [farmers] realised it would come in handy to harness rainwater and also to double the yield,” he said.
During the interaction, almost all the beneficiaries, who had come from Sandur and Hospete taluks, thanked the Minister and the government for granting them krishi hondas. “With one or two good rains, the hondas in our fields were filled and we could not only protect the crop but also get more than double the yield,” a beneficiary said. They also suggested increasing the size of the ponds.
B.S. Anand Singh, MLA, who was also present, called upon farmers to make optimum use of krishi hondas and to also help popularise their use.
On S.M. Krishna
“Senior Congress leader S.M. Krishna reportedly trying to indulge in politics instead of guiding the party as an elderly statesman doesn’t befit [someone of] his stature,” Mr. Gowda said.
He made it clear that he had not heard Mr. Krishna saying that he would be joining the BJP, except for a few news reports stating so. “Mr. Krishna has contributed a lot to the party. Similarly, the party has given him a lot of opportunities to enjoy top positions, including that of KPCC president, Chief Minister and Union Minister. I am not aware of Mr. Krishna saying he would be joining the BJP. If it is so, then it would not be fair on his part... He is the senior-most leader, a seasoned politician who is expected to play a role in guiding the party to serve the people instead of indulging in politics at this age,” he said.
On the question of waiver of farm loans, Mr. Gowda said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to waive at least up to 50% of farm loans availed from nationalised banks.
On the delay in disbursal of crop loss compensation, he said that as against the demand of ₹4,702 crore by the State government, the Centre had sanctioned ₹1,682 crore, of which ₹450 crore was released recently. Later, on the CM’s urging, the Finance Minister promised to release the remaining amount at the earliest, he added.
“We have urged the CM to release the ₹450-crore grant to be distributed among the four revenue divisions, so that payment of crop loss compensation can be taken up. Once the CM gives the go-ahead, the process will commence,” he said.
