Amidst growing discontent among the farm community, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Congress Government is planning to amend the Karnataka land Reforms Act to allow non-agriculturists to buy farmlands in the State. According to law and Parliamentary Minster TB Jayachandra, the Government would introduce a Bill in the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Karnataka Assembly.
At present the Act does not allow non-agriculturalists to buy farmland in the State. It also does not allow people with an income of more than `2 lakh per annum to buy the land. According to the amended Act non-agriculturists can buy land with a ceiling income of `25 lakhs.
According to Government sources, the intention of the Government is to garner more revenue and also help many who aspire to have farmlands.
But farmers oppose any such move by Government and feel it is going to be a death knell to agriculture. According K Chandrashekhar, a farmer leader, this is a conspiracy to sell land to the big corporations. He said, “it will be foolish on the part of Government to amend the Act to help the corporates. This is also a conspiracy to help the big corporates. The small farmers will be lured and trapped to this conspiracy. We will be in danger of losing agricultural production.”
The ongoing Monsoon Session of the Assembly at Belagavi on Tuesday too witnessed stormy debate on the plight of sugarcane farmers. Former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy who went on a padayatra, demanded that the State Government pay sugarcane farmers their dues from its exchequer and then recover it from mill owners.
Participating in the discussion on farmer suicides and payment of dues to cane farmers in the Assembly, he said, the Government should immediately release money as cane growers are in no position to wait any more. Government can later recover this money by selling sugar seized by it from mills, he added.
He expressed fears about the possible crisis that might emerge as about 600 lakh metric tonnes of cane would be ready for crushing by September compared to 400 lakh MT last year.
Responding to the Opposition demand Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Government would take responsibility of cane dues repayment for 2013-14, he said “for 2014-15 price of `2,200 per tonne was fixed by the central Government, mills have paid `1,800 per tonne, so `400 per tonne is yet to be paid.”
Siddaramaiah also said he plans to take an all party delegation to the Central Government on the issue. Intervening, leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar said it has been a practice that whatever be the price fixed by the Union Government, the State always adds incentive on its part. However sugarcane farmers continued their protest outside the Suvarna Soudha at Belagavi.