CPM urges Govt to be considerate towards farmers

New Delhi, Mar 9 (UNI) The Communist Party of India (Marxists) today urged the Government to be more considerate towards the plight of farmers and do something to ameliorate their condition.

Participating in the discussion on the General Budget for 2006-07 in the Lok Sabha, CPM member P Satheedevi drew Government's attention towards the suicides by farmers in many parts of the country, particularly in her state Kerala.

She regretted that the budget proposals did not provide much relief to the farmers. Besides, the condition of coconut growers in Kerala was very bad, she added.

While calling for adequate promotion to agro Industries, she urged the Government that the interest rate on loans be reduced to 4 per cent. She also called for an increase in the outlay for Kerala.

Mr Avinash Rai Khanna(BJP) said the Government had perhaps forgotten about the problems of the common man and the budget did not offer anything to ''Aam Admi'' on which plank the UPA government had won the election.

Also highlighting the problems of farmers, he cautioned the government against its decision to import wheat. This would further hit the farmers as they would have to sell off their wheat at a very low price. He said the Government should in fact ensure a good remunerative price for the indigenous commodity instead of importing wheat. He also urged the government to be more concerned about mentally-retarded children, about whom the budget was silent.

Mr Khanna pointed out that Punjab was facing a very acute problem of drinking and irrigation water due to excess of fluoride content in it. At least eight districts had this problem, he said and asked the government to make special allocation in the budget for Punjab to tackle the situation.

Mr Mohan Singh, Samajwadi Party, said although he was not against the budget, he would say that it had not come up to the expectations. The economics that the country was having an 8 per cent GDP growth and inflation rate as low as 4 per cent did not reflect the real picture as the country even today had a very low per capita income as compared to other countries.

Unemployment had doubled from five per cent to almost ten per cent which itself belied the claim that poverty ratio was declining, he said.

He lauded the Government for implementing the Employment Guarantee Scheme but suggested that it should ensure at least 200-day employment guarantee as against 100 days proposed in the scheme. In addition, the scheme should be implemented in all the states across the country. He dubbed the scheme of adult education ''merely on papers'' and said the funds allocated under it should be transferred to the universalisation of the education programme.

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