Farmers’ leader and former Union minister for rural development and panchayat raj Babagouda Patil has opposed the government’s move to distribute foodgrains free of cost and at a subsidised price. Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, he said such move by the government was making the poor people idle and causing shortage of farm labourers.
He said, the government should have a labour-oriented policy wherein the people should be provided employment and wages.
Babagouda urged the Union government not to do away with the Sugar Control Act as it would affect the cane growers. He accused Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar of buckling under pressure from global corporations and trying to change the agriculture policy. An attempt to do away with Sugar Control Act was one such move under pressure from global corporations, Patil alleged.
He said the government should take steps to stabilise the general price level in the country. “The Union and state governments are claiming that India’s economy is in the pink of its health, but the farmers have other opinion. There is situation where the country imports foodgrains. Marginal farmers are quitting farming as it has proved to be unfeasible. The legislators and corrupt officials are buying agriculture land and leaving it uncultivated. There is a need to create awareness among the farmers about these factors,” he alleged.
Babagouda said the Raitha Jagruti Vedike will hold a farmers’ rally in Belgaum on September 13 and explain all the issues related to them.
