Sharad Pawar to review peasants' suicide here on Apr 10

Hyderabad, Apr 5 (UNI) Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar will hold a meeting here on April 10 with Chief Ministers of four states on the issue of suicide by farmers.

Announcing this at a press conference here today, State Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy said the meeting, which would be attended many others including agricultural Ministers and officials of the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, would help the Centre evolve a special package for peasants as promised in Parliament.

During the meeting, the State Government would urge the Centre to implement 33 recommendations of the Jayati Ghosh Commission and 26 recommendations of the Ramachanna Reddy Commission, which the State Government had forwarded to it.

He pleaded with the Centre to consent to the Seed Bill passed by the State Assembly to provide relief to farmers hit by spurious seeds.

He wanted the Union Government to ensure that interest on farm loans charged by Regional Rural Banks as also Cooperative banks was not more than seven per cent and also bear part of the premium for implementing a noval health insurance scheme for peasants.

Thanking the Centre for making the village the unit for implementing crop insurance scheme, he urged the Centre to make other norms of the scheme farmer-friendly.

The State Chief Secretary would hold a meeting with secretaries of various departments tomorrow to finalise various issues to be taken up with the Centre.

UNI