Date:09/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/09/stories/2007020913140400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

MLAs want fair price fixed for sugarcane

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: Members in the Legislative Assembly, cutting across party lines, on Thursday demanded that the Government fix a fair price for sugarcane supplied to sugar factories in Mandya, Belgaum and Bidar districts.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, J.C. Madhuswamy (JD-U) from Tumkur district, Dhruva Narayan from Mysore district, Prakash Hukkeri from Belgaum district (both Congress) and Prakash Khandre (BJP) and Merajuddin Patel (JD-S) from Bidar district, criticised the Government for not fulfilling its promise on fixing a fair price. Mr. Patel said that sugar factories in Bidar district had announced that they would clear dues amounting to Rs. 9 crore, but failed to do so.

Mr. Narayan and others staged a dharna protesting against the delay in coming to the aid of sugarcane growers.

Minister for Sugar S.A. Ravindranath announced that he would convene a meeting of sugar factory owners and farmers representatives to solve the problem.

Welfare schemes

Social Welfare Minister Balachandra Jarkiholi informed the House during Question Hour that the Government was implementing schemes such as promoting self-employment, providing land, Ganga Kalyana and rehabilitation of Safai Karamcharis for people from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

He said Rs. 23 crore had been earmarked for the purpose, of which Rs. 4 crore had been released.

Earlier, H.C. Mahadevappa, who has been suspended from the JD(S), G.V. Srirama Reddy (CPI-M) and Boseraju and Dhruva Narayan (both Congress) asked why loans were distributed to people from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under one of the schemes only in Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency. The loans were distributed after the former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who represents the constituency, resigned from the Assembly after leaving the JD(S) to join the Congress.

Mr. Reddy said the Government's move was politically motivated. It was meant to win the support of people from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on the eve of the Chamundeshwari byelection, he said.

Acknowledging that it loans were distributed only in Chamundeshwari, the Minister said the scheme would be extended to other constituencies this year, if the MLAs asked for it.