Asserting that farmers too had the right to innovations and technology, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said that with the help of scientists, his Ministry was developing a portable soil testing device which would come handy for the farmers.
Speaking at a kharif awareness programme, organised by the Vijayapura Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Agriculture Culture College here on Thursday, the Minister hoped that such a machine would be devised within a year.
Claiming that the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the Union Government’s crop insurance scheme was a game changer in crop insurance sector, he said that new policy would provide higher compensation with lower rate of premium.
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“The Union Government has come up with this scheme that will bring radical change in the lives of farmers, however without the cooperation of the State government, the success will be a farce,” he said.
Mentioning that the manufacture of neem-coated urea was another significant move in curbing illegality in the black-marketing of urea, the Minister said that after it was introduced, the illegal supply of urea to chemical companies has stopped completely.
“Besides this, compared to normal urea, the farmers need 20 per less urea if its coated with Neem, which only save the money of farmers”, he said.
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Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has accused the Congress government of giving less compensation to the land losers of the Almatti basin.
Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, he said that during his meeting with the farmers at Almatti, the farmers sought higher compensation for losing land after the increase in the dam’s height.
“The farmers said that the amount of compensation is offered to them is meagre, and I also felt that the Congress government here should have given higher compensation to the land losers,” he said.
Mr. Singh claimed that the Modi government has increased the amount under Calamity Relief Fund to Rs. 1,527 crore for next five years for Karnataka. In the past, the State government has received only Rs. 667 crore in five years, he said.
He said that the funds have been augmented after making amendment by the Union Government in the policy.
Admitting that the Congress government in Karnataka has doing well in collecting the soil sample for testing for preparing soil health card, however the Minister alleged that the same speed was not maintained in issuing soil health cards.
“I am happy that the government has done better in collecting sample, but when it comes to issuing of cards, it is very slow. I hope that the government will pick up pace in coming days and issue soil health cards to farmers without further delay,” he said.
On the long pending demand of the grape and pomegranate framers of the State who are seeking loan waiver from for incurring loss to natural calamity in last three successive years, Mr. Singh categorically asserted that the Union Government had no such scheme to waive off loan.
“All we can do is to offer loan with three per cent interest rate to help them tide over the situation but can’t waive off the loan,” he said.