The Hindu : Gowda calls for support price for silkworm cocoons

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 28, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Gowda calls for support price for silkworm cocoons

By Our Staff Reporter

Bangalore July 27. The former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, today urged the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, to ensure that the State Government paid its share (Rs. 70) of the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs. 140 per kg of silkworm cocoons as the Union Government had agreed to pay the other half. More than 1.5 crore sericulturists and weavers were facing a serious threat from cheaper Chinese silk, he said.

He was speaking to reporters after calling off the one-day dharna in support of the sericulturists near the Mahatma Gandhi statue here, following the death of the Vice-President, Krishan Kant. He said that according to information he had received from Delhi, the Chief Minister, who led an all-party delegation to the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, on Friday, was not ready to pay the State's share of the MSP.

Mr. Gowda said that if Mr. Krishna was not ready to write to the Centre agreeing to pay half the amount towards the MSP, then it should be construed that the State Government was not interested in coming to the rescue of the sericulturists and others engaged in the silk industry.

Most of the sericulturists had smallholdings of half an acre or one acre and depended on silk. But they were facing a bleak future as China was hell-bent on destroying the Indian silk industry by dumping silk at low prices to capture the Indian market.

The Centre should immediately impose anti-dumping duty and stop silk imports to save the country's silk industry, as the silk stock was sufficient for more than three years.

Mr. Deve Gowda said he was not interested in making political capital out of the difficult situation facing the sericulturists, but was only trying to help them. A huge rally would be organised here on August 4 if the State Government refused to announce MSP for cocoons.

Apart from this, the Government was demolishing poor people's houses and planned to privatise water distribution. Bangaloreans would be forced to pay four or five times the amount charged by the BWSSB.

Mr. Gowda said he planned a Statewide tour seeking people's support for the struggles ahead. Several Janata Dal leaders, including M.C. Nanaiah, K.H. Srinivasa, and Basavaraj Bommai, MLCs, the former minister, K.M. Muniyappa, and K.N. Chakrapani, Working President of the State Yuva Janata Dal (S), participated in the dharna.

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