lambasting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre for purportedly protecting the interests of its "financiers" than those of farmers, the Pradesh Congress Committee members submitted a memorandum to the party's national vice president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Thursday eliciting attention on specific issues pertaining to the State of Uttarakhand.
The memorandum signed by PCC chief Kishore Upadhyay and other State leaders of the party was submitted on the occasion of the conclusion of Kisan Yatra stated to have been headed by the party vice-president.
In the memorandum, the PCC chief and other party leaders averred that it was during the tenure of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre that effective measures had been taken for the welfare of farmers of the nation. It was under the Congress-led government that a waiver of loan totaling in amount to about Rs 70,000 was made in the interests of the farmers and the poor segment of society.
Upadhyay opined that the party national vice-president's Kisan Yatra in Uttar Pradesh had rekindled hope among the masses, especially the farmers that the Congress vice president would be available to carry on the "struggle" in their interests.
The memorandum elicited Rahul's attention on a couple of specific issues starting with the Rs 164 crore promised by the previous Union Government headed by the Congress-led UPA to clear the pending dues of sugar cane farmers in the state. Since elected to office at the Centre, the BJP-led Union Government has not yet done the needful to provide Rs 164 crore for clearing dues of sugarcane farmers in Uttarakhand so far, it said.
Upadhyay further said that considering the smaller sized land holdings of farmers in the mountainous State of Uttarakhand, agro-forestry enterprise should also be encourage with provision being made for paying an incentive of Rs 2,000 per tree per year for cultivation and nurturing of such tree species which promote water retention and other environmental benefits.
In addition to this, the PCC chief also demanded that on the lines of the standards observed by the union government, necessary provisions should be made for providing reservation in Government jobs to all the residents of Uttarakhand.