The Hindu : Shankar favours merger of depts.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Shankar favours merger of depts.

By Our Correspondent

CHIKMAGALUR FEB. 25. The Chairman of the Legislative Council, B.L.Shankar, has advocated merging of departments to improve efficiency and cut costs.

Inaugurating a seminar on agricultural and horticultural corps in Horanadu on Monday, he said all crops should be brought under one department to ensure better regulation. Several departments such as agriculture, sericulture, horticulture and floriculture were functioning independently without any control over the other.

Mr. Shankar suggested that the minor, medium and major irrigation departments should be merged into one — Water Resources Department. Bifurcation of departments had not only helped the officials to defer responsibility but had also resulted in an increase in the number of officials, vehicles and ministers without any benefit to farmers. He pointed out that the Administrative Reforms Commission had also made a similar suggestion to avoid wasteful expenditure.

Expressing dissatisfaction that the agricultural sector was not getting the encouragement due to it despite the country having a predominantly agriculture-based economy, he said urban dwellers, officials, politicians and industrialists, who constituted 10 per cent of the population, were economically stable when compared to those who lived in the rural areas.

Mr. Shankar observed that the problems of farmers had increased after government intervention. Criticising scientists, experts and officials for failing to fulfil the expectations of farmers, he regretted that civilisation was being equated with urban dwelling.

He said several farmers were not assured of two meals a day, though conditions were favourable for agriculture in the country and foodgrains production was surplus. He stressed the need to create proper marketing facilities for agricultural produces. Farmers were expecting scientists to provide them with quick, high-yielding and profitable crops. The results obtained in laboratories were not being implemented on the fields. Pointing out that several problems in the agriculture sector were due to insufficient information on supply and demand status, he said development of small irrigation projects, increase in the water table should get priority.

Bheemeshwara Joshi, Dharmakartha of Horanadu Kshetra, who presided over the function, called upon the Government to fix support price for all varieties of areca nut and establish agricultural information centres in the taluks.

Anantha Padmanabha Bhat, Director of MANCOS, spoke.

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