KRRS sets Sept 28 deadline over drought inaction
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha will hold protests at district headquarters on September 28 if the special legislature session on drought produces no action.
The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) has said it will organise large-scale protest rallies at district headquarters across the State on September 28 if a special session of the State legislature fails to deliver action on the drought.
Speaking at a press conference in Mysuru on Sunday, KRRS leader Badagalapura Nagendra said farmers would demonstrate outside the offices of Deputy Commissioners in each district and gherao elected representatives if they appear in public.
A three-day special session of the State Legislature is set to begin in Bengaluru on September 21.
Mr. Nagendra welcomed the decision to convene the session but said it would serve no purpose unless it led to the implementation of programmes to tackle the severe drought. He accused the Central and State governments of a "complete neglect and inhuman approach" to the crisis, which the State government has described as the worst in 140 years.
He said the authorities were avoiding responsibility by relying on "outdated norms" to assess drought, and urged the State government to set aside what he called anti-people norms and use its own resources to provide relief.
Among the demands raised were a waiver of agricultural loans with the Centre and the State sharing the cost equally, and a bar on banks recovering loans. Mr. Nagendra also called for agriculture to be given top priority, at least seven hours of power supply to agricultural pump sets as promised, and efforts to fill lakes and tanks.
He sought scientific compensation for crop losses and asked insurance companies to deposit the full crop-loss compensation into farmers' bank accounts. Drinking water for people and livestock should be ensured without hardship to either, he said.
Other demands included the supply of fodder for livestock, additional ration for people, and immediate payment of pending dues for paddy, maize and ragi procured through procurement centres.
To curb migration in search of work, Mr. Nagendra said employment under the rural employment guarantee scheme should be provided near people's places of residence. He also urged the government to hold Dasara in a simple manner and to cancel the proposed Kambala in Mysuru.
Raitha Sangha district president Hosuru Kumar, organising secretary Hosakote Basavaraj and office-bearers P. Marankaiah, Mandakalli Mahesh and Netravathi were present.