Farmers under the banner of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) staged a dharna outside the tahsildar’s office here on Monday demanding steps to tackle drought in the district. They raised slogans against the State government for its alleged failure to provide succour to the people.
Crops had withered owing to the failure of the monsoon and there was a scarcity of fodder, they said.
In a memorandum to the Chief Minister, submitted through the tahsildar, the KPRS urged the government to provide a compensation of Rs. 10,000 an acre for farmers who suffered crop loss. They also demanded that crop loss survey be taken up in a “scientific” way.
Condemned
Addressing the protesters, KPRS district unit secretary T.M. Venkatesh condemned the hike in prices of fodder being supplied by Karnataka Milk Federation. He demanded that fodder be supplied for free through fodder banks.
Mr. Venkatesh criticised the district administration for its failure to provide jobs to rural people under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).
“The rural people reeling under drought are not being provided jobs under the MNREGA,” he added.
