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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Karnataka Revenue Minister questions H.D. Deve Gowda's silence over Mekedatu project
Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has questioned former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda's silence over the Mekedatu project even after the people of the State supported the BJP-JD(S) coalition in the last Lok Sabha polls. Speaking at Yuva Parva, a convention organised by the youth wing of the Congress party at Channarayapatna on Sunday, Mr. Byre Gowda said that former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda had assured the people that he would get approval for the Mekedatu project within hours if the State elected a good number of JD(S)-BJP seats in the Lok Sabha polls. 'The people elected the candidates of the coalition partners. However, Mr. Deve Gowda has not spoken a word about the project even more than a year after the elections. The people of Karnataka suffered even after electing the coalition candidates,' he said. He also pointed out that despite assuring ₹5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra project, the Central government had not released even a single rupee for the same. Besides that, the Revenue Minister added that the Centre had been attempting to impose the Hindi language on the people of Karnataka. Mr. Byre Gowda said that he, as Revenue Minister, had brought significant changes in the State. 'The people would be benefited by the changes. The party workers should work towards bringing the party back to power in the next elections,' he added. MLA for Arsikere K.M. Shivalinge Gowda said that the State had been denied its share in tax collection. 'Against ₹4.5 lakh crore collected from the State, only ₹65,000 crore had been returned. Despite the difficulties, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been successfully leading the administration,' he said. He opined that the Congress party would be strengthened in Hassan if a person from the district was appointed Minister in charge of the district. 'We will show the power of the Congress party if a person from the district is appointed Minister in charge of the district. We should work towards winning all seven assembly constituencies in the next election,' he added. Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad, MP for Hassan Shreyas Patel, and others were present.
The Hindu
22-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Deve Gowda writes to PM seeking procurement of mangoes by NAFED to bail out Karnataka growers
Former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking that the Centre instruct National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) to procure mangoes under the price deficiency payment (PDP) and market intervention scheme (MIS) to bail out Karnataka's mango growers who are in distress due to crash in prices of the produce. In separate, but similarly worded, letters dated June 22, Mr. Gowda brought the plight of mango growers to the knowledge of both Mr. Modi and Mr. Chouhan and said that mango was one of the major horticultural crops in Karnataka, cultivated over an area of 1.39 lakh hectares, particularly in Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Chickballapur, Kolar, and Bengaluru South (formerly Ramanagara) districts, with an estimated production of eight lakh to 10 lakh tonnes during the rabi season. However, due to weather vagaries and diseases, the mango yield has dropped to less than 30% this year, he pointed out. 'From May to June this year, heavy arrivals caused unsustainable price fluctuations. Prices fell from ₹12,000 per quintal to ₹3,000 per quintal, while the cultivation cost itself is ₹5,466 per quintal. This has financially stressed farmers, with many small and marginal mango growers unable to cover basic costs, leading to protests,' Mr. Gowda said. He expressed concern that Andhra Pradesh's ban on Totapuri mango varieties entering Chittoor district, adjacent to Karnataka, has disrupted the supply chain and resulted in a risk of post-harvest losses for Karnataka's border area mango growers. This has created tension among the mango growers, leading to protests in many districts, especially in Kolar and Chickballapur, he pointed out. The Chief Minister of Karnataka and the Chief Secretary have asked Andhra Pradesh to revoke this ban immediately. Additionally, the State government has requested the Centre to start procurement through Central agencies such as NAFED and the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Ltd. to aid farmers and alleviate rural distress, he noted. 'I request the Central government to instruct NAFED to procure mangoes under the PDP and MIS. This will support farmers by ensuring fair prices through direct purchases from farmers and through farmer producer organisations (FPOs),' he said. 'I trust that the Central government will promptly take appropriate actions to support Karnataka's mango growers by providing adequate financial benefits under various schemes,' he said.
