Bengaluru: The state government has decided to disburse Rs 11,000 crore of agriculture loans to 23 lakh farmers during 2016-17 through co-operative banks.
This is Rs 1,000 crore more compared to the allocation for 2015-16. Even the numbers of farmer beneficiaries is 2 lakh more than the previous year.
The government has proposed to abolish agriculture income tax of growers of coffee, tea, rubber and other plantation crops with effect from April 1, this year. Mr Siddaramaiah said the government has converted medium term and long term agriculture loans by one year with the government bearing the interest burden of Rs 228.38 crore. Besides, the government has waived the full interest on all types of agriculture loans availed from various co-operative institutions which are overdue as on September 30, 2015 if farmers pay the principal amount before March 31, this year. Government will bear the estimated burden of Rs 250.77 crore related to this.
In view of the continuing drought conditions, the time for repayment of this loan has been extended till September 30, 2016.
Farmers have no reason to be happy
The Budget offers farming community no reason to cheer with no special programmes announced to boost their morale. Admitting a decline in the agriculture sector by 4.7 per cent owing to two consecutive droughts resulting in a fall in food production to 110 lakh tonnes this year as against 126 lakh during 2014-15, the CM has announced the creation of Special Agriculture Zones in different parts of the state on the lines of Special Economic Zones. Apart from this, the government has proposed the Karnataka State Agricultural and Farmers Welfare Committee under the chairmanship of the CM for redressal of grievances of farmers and to converge schemes of the agriculture department and other departments. Better coordination will be achieved at the district, taluk and hobli levels through such committees, he opined.
Suvarna Krishi gramas
The budget has proposed developing 100 villages in four districts across four revenue divisions as model agricultural villages under the Suvarna Krishi grama programme. Comprehensive development of these villages will be taken up by integrating all programmes of the agriculture and allied departments. To coincide with International year of pulses, the government proposes to take up 'Pulse Mission' to increase the production of pulses. This is to help in adoption of modern technologies by farmers, crop development and to increase production. As per recommendations of the Vision Group constituted under the chairmanship of Dr M.S. Swaminathan, innovations of progressive farmers will be disseminated to other farmers. Short-term training programmes as per the requirement of farmers will be organised through agricultural varsities.
The government has failed to come out with any concrete steps to improve the agriculture sector in the wake of farmer suicides in the State. Farmers' groups had expected the government to waive crop loans but no such announcement has been made by the CM.
Most of energy sector’s Rs 12,632 crore will go for subsidy
Though the Energy Department has been allotted over Rs 12,632 crore, most of it has gone towards providing power subsidies, which has gone up to Rs 8600 crore this year.
But the government has announced the setting up of a gas based power plant at Yelahanka, establishment of a 1320 MW Gulbarga Power Plant and a 200 MW solar plant.
It plans to add 2655 MW to the power production in the state, with the addition of 800 MW from Yeramarus Unit II, 705 MW from Central Generating Stations and 1150 MW from renewable sources. The state government hopes to set up 1200 MW solar plants in 60 backward taluks.
