Senior Congress member H.K. Patil on Thursday took exception to the State Budget not having any programme to mark the 75th anniversary of the country’s independence.
Participating in a debate on the Budget in the Assembly, Mr. Patil said the State should had given a thought in this regard as the Centre had already launched various programmes.
He suggested that the State government call a meeting of leaders of all parties as well as those from prominent organisations to discuss on the nature of special programme. He appealed to the government to take up 750 government schools for being developed in terms of infrastructure on the model of Delhi schools.
APMC Act
Taking exception to the government pushing through the APMC Bill, Mr. Patil demanded that the legislation should either be modified to help farmers or withdrawn completely.
“The APMC is not just a space for selling agricultural produce, but it is also an authority that regulates the sales,” he pointed out. Taking exception to reducing the APMC cess from 1.5% to 0.6%, he wondered if it was possible for the APMC to manage with such a meagre commission.
Ridiculing the claims of the Centre that it wants to double farmers’ income, he maintained that the farmers’ incomes had shrunk by 25% to 35%. This was evident with the prices of some of the vegetables crashing of late, he said. He pointed out that price of maize had reduced by 36% when compared with the last year’s prices. Similarly, the price of wheat (25%), paddy (20%), onion (70%), and garlic (240%) too had reduced, he observed.
Countering this, BJP member Araga Jnanendra said the market intervention scheme with respect to paddy had already commenced. As against the prevailing market prices of ₹1,250 per quintal, the government was buying paddy at an MSP of ₹1,800, he said.
Mr. Patil also alleged that an interest of ₹220 crore was yet to be collected towards the funds belonging to the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department that had been deposited in bank.
On land-grabbers
Expressing anguish over the government not initiating legal action against any of the land sharks who had encroached government land, Mr. Patil wondered what was preventing the government from acting against land-grabbers despite the CAG holding them guilty.
