State expects adequate Central aid for farmers

Thiruvananthapuram, June 21 : Kerala Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran told the State Assembly today that the State expected adequate assistance from the Centre to provide relief to the farmers in distress.

Replying to a Calling Attention motion by C K P Padmanabhan (CPI-M), he said a three-member team of the Planning Commission had recently visited Wayanad district where several debt-trapped farmers had committed suicide, following crop failure and the State was expecting favourable response from the Centre on the basis of the recommendations of the team.

Mr Ratnakaran said District Collectors, in cooperation with elected representatives of the people, had initiated steps to ascertain the number farmers, who had committed suicide, as the previous UDF Government had no reliable data on it.

Replying to another Calling Attention by C P Mohammed (Cong), Transport Minister Mathew T Thomas said work was in progress in connection with the formation of a Road Safety Authority in the context of increased road accidents in the State.

Responding to a submission by B Raghavan (CPI-M), Labour Minister P K Gurudasan said the minimum wages of cashew workers, would be revised soon and steps would be taken to reopen closed cashew factories.

Mr Gurudasan also said that 12 months' pension arrears to cashew workers, would be given soon.

UNI