BKS convention comes out with 26-point charter of demands
| Author: The Hindu Date: 04 Apr 2013 08:23:37 |
Tirupati, March 30: The problems faced by farmers and the farm sector as a whole came under sharp focus at a convention held here on Friday by the Bharathiya Kisan Sangh, A.P unit.
The convention, which came out with a long list of 26-points demand, was preceded by an impressive rally through the main thoroughfares of the temple city in which farmers from different districts took part amid waving of placards and banners.
National and State leaders of BKS, addressing the convention, highlighted the travails of the farm sector besides the trials and the tribulations being faced by the entire farming community in the face of adverse conditions such as extremely unpredictable weather conditions marked by untimely cloud-bursts, prolonged dry-spells and an ‘unfriendly’ government which did nothing tangible for the farmers except giving assurances in the run up to the elections.
Important among the demands put forth by the Kisan Sangh leaders was that the government should fix the price for the agricultural commodities strictly on the basis of the ‘cost-sheet’ on a par with the industrial and the service sectors, to make farming viable and self-sustaining. Among the other demands were freedom to sell their produce anywhere in the country, comprehensive farm policy to lift the sector from its present morass, exclusive budget for agriculture both at the Central and the State levels with special focus on infrastructure development, ensuring nine-hour uninterrupted quality power to agriculture, creation of a corpus fund for farmers’ welfare on a par with Labour Welfare Fund, market intervention by the government to curb exploitation and distress sale, Rs.2,000 monthly pension to the farmers completing 60 years of age, extending ‘Arogyasri’ to farmers, declaring ‘Pranahitha’ and ‘Chevella’ as national projects and ensuring their expeditious execution without further delay, promoting organic farming, ensuring ‘seed security’, and option to farmers to choose either ‘in-line’ or ‘on-line’ drip irrigation.
(From The Hindu)
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/bks-convention-comes-out-with-26point-charter-of-demands/article4563304.ece
