Date:26/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/26/stories/2007062652380500.htm

Karnataka

Insurance scheme to cover 50 lakh families of farmers

Staff Correspondent

Kolar: Union Minister of State for Surface Transport and Highways K.H. Muniyappa said on Monday that the Centre had formulated an insurance scheme to cover 50 lakh families of farmers across the country. Inaugurating various development works at Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yard here, he said helping farmers in distress was the objective of the scheme. It had been planned to bring one crore families of farmers under the scheme in the future, he added.

Mr. Muniyappa said the State Government should take advantage of the scheme and help farmers.

Presiding over the function Kolar MLA K. Srinivasa Gowda appealed to farmers in distress not to commit suicide. Stressing the need for governments’ intervention when prices of farm produce crashed in the market, he said farmers should follow the cropping pattern suggested to them so that they would not face problems.

They should not depend on private moneylenders for loans, he added.

District in-charge Minister R. Srinivas, APMC chairman Ramalinge Gowda and zilla panchayat president V. Venkatamuniyappa spoke.

V.R. Sudarshan and Nazir Ahmad, MLCs, Commissioner for Agriculture Marketing G.S. Narayanaswamy and taluk panchayat president Lakshmamma Papanna were present.