CM in hurry before EC's code comes into force

The interest-free loans of Rs 8,000 cr will benefit 1.6 mn farmers in the state

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who seems to be in a tearing hurry to launch as many schemes/projects as possible across the state before the Election Commission announces dates for the Lok Sabha elections, yesterday launched over Rs 1,000 crore worth of works in Nanjangud and Gundlupet of Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts, respectively.

Under the Karnataka's new initiative to ensure food for all, he handed over ragi bags to the first beneficiaries under the 'Ragi Bhagya' scheme in Nanjangud and announced interest-free loans up to Rs 3 lakh to farmers from April 1.

While he unveiled 27 plaques to mark the inauguration of a slew of development works in Nanjangud taluk that would cost Rs 293 crore, he launched Rs 809 crore worth of development works to benefit Gundlupet.

The interest-free loans of Rs 8,000 crore will benefit 1.6 million farmers in the state. Loan disbursing co-operatives will be reimbursed Rs 800 crore subsidy, he said, detailing the various development works and schemes initiated by his Congress government towards fulfiling the party's Assembly poll-eve promises.

At Nanjangud, he said the state government had given priority to irrigation and drinking water, and against Rs 7,800 crore last year, the allocation had been increased to Rs 11,305 crore, an allocation double of what the previous BJP government had made. He also promised to complete all ongoing irrigation works by allocating more funds in the coming year.

He claimed that no government had offered such a high support price as his government was offering now. Also, he claimed, it was buying ragi, jowar, maize, hybrid maize, coconut, groundnut, copra among other produce from farmers at a price higher than the rates announced by the Centre, The state had introduced online trading of grains by amending the Agricultural Produce Marketing Act and facilitating the sale of grains from one corner of the state to the other corner, bypassing middlemen.

The chief minister also claimed Karnataka was the first state in the country to give an additional subsidy of Rs 150 per tonne of sugarcane, thus giving a total subsidy of Rs 4,500 crore.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the state had procured 10,000 tonnes of ragi for distribution under the new scheme launched today.

Chamarajanagar MP Dhruvanarayan said work on the conversion of accident-prone Mysore-Nanjangud highway would commence from March 5 and preliminary works had already begun.