Staff Correspondent
GULBARGA: Members of the Bharatiya Raitha Sanghata-negala Okkutta will launch "Sanka Naada" programme to create awareness among farmers and voters to elect a farmer-friendly government at the Centre in the upcoming general elections.
At a press conference here on Monday, member of executive committee of the okkutta, Basavarj Ingin, said that the "Sanka Naada" programme will be inaugurated at Kanyakumari on March 15 and it will be held in Gul-barga on March 16.
Conditional support
Mr. Ingin said the members of the okkutta will support such of those national parties which make a promise in their manifesto that on assuming office, they will implement recommendations of Dr. Swaminathan Commission report; parliamentary agricultural committee recommendations; and other recommendations for farmers' welfare.
Mr. Ingin said the minimum support price for agricultural produce should be 50 per cent more than the incurred expenditure; agriculture as a subject should be introduced in the syllabus; farmers should get interest-free loans; and levy system should be scrapped.
The okkutta also demanded that farmers be paid pension after they are 60 years of age. A separate budget for agriculture has to be presented, they said.
