What Karnataka needs from the Central Budget

What Karnataka needs
from the Central Budget

1.Separate Budget for Agriculture
I fully endorse and appreciate the initiative taken by the chief minister of Karnataka to present a separate Budget for Agriculture. I hope the central government will also appreciate this and follow suit from next year.
Agriculture in the country has been facing grave crisis for the last 20 years of Globalised Economic Policy. The fact that more than 200,000 small and marginal farmers have committed suicide since 1997, all over the country is ample proof of the mess in Indian Agriculture. From 1997 to 2008, more than 25,000 farmers have committed suicide in Karnataka. It works out to 2740 suicides a year. It is in this background a separate Budget for Agriculture in Karnataka is justified. It focuses attention, exclusively on agricultural sector and steps taken for strengthening it.
The situation of the Agriculture Sector in the country as a whole is no different from what it is in Karnataka. Therefore I urge the central government also to present a separate Budget for Agriculture at least from next year and make an announcement in this year’s budget
2. Set up Farmers’ Income Guarantee Commission
As rightly pointed out by well known Food Policy Analyst Dr.Dhirendra Sharma, in a seminar held in Bengaluru recently, the average income of an agricultural family in the country, is far below the monthly salary of a peon in government service. In Karnataka it is even below the national average. Therefore I, urge the Union Finance Minister to set up a Farmers’ Income Guarantee Commission (F.I.G.C.) on the lines of Pay Commission for the government servants. The Farmers’ Income Guarantee Commission should aim at providing a minimum monthly income for every Agricultural Family, which is equivalent to the monthly salary of a peon in government service. F.I.G.C. should be announced in the current Budget.
3. Emphasise dry land farming
Karnataka has the dubious distinction of having the second largest desert like area, in the whole country after Rajasthan. To mitigate this situation I urge the union finance minister to allocate liberal funds to Karnataka for undertaking on a large scale, minor irrigation projects such as construction and restoration of Tanks, check dams and water harvesting schemes.
4. Skill Development Programmes
One of the serious problems facing the Agricultural sector in Karnataka as well as the country is large scale migration of the youth from the villages. Therefore it is absolutely essential to create favourable atmosphere in which the youth stay in their own villages and find attractive employment facilities. From this point of view I urge the Union Budget to establish micro and small food processing units at village level, start Industrial Training Centers at Taluk level with emphasis on Food Processing, Dairy Farming, Repair of farm equipments and such other rural need based courses.
5. Protection of River Catchment areas
Western Ghats in Karnataka are the sources of many rivers such as Kaveri, Hemavathi, Thunga, Bhadra, Sharavathi, Kali and so on. These rivers are the lifeline of the entire South India. However in the recent years Rainfall in the catchment areas of these rivers is fast decreasing on account of deforestation and mono culture plantations. Hence the union Budget should have urgent and appropriate schemes to protect the catchment areas of the major rivers of Karnataka and their tributaries, with dense tree cover with local species rather than exotic species.

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