Kerala assured more help for agriculture, fisheries development

New Delhi, July 30 (UNI) Kerala today demanded a Rs 2,300-crore assistance for the implementation of "Vidarbha-model" package for agriculture development in the three districts of the state, selected under the central scheme.

Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan called on Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and also demanded that two more districts - Idukki and Alapuzha - also be included in the scheme, which was announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the light of public concern against increasing incidence of farmer suicides due to debt throught the country.

The districts of Kasaragod, Wayanad and Palakkad in Kerala were among 80-odd districts already selected by the Centre for the implementation of the programme.

Mr Achuthanandan said Mr Pawar had assured the inclusion of two more districts from Kerala after the implementation of the scheme in the three districts selected already.

Mr Pawar had also promised to extend assistance to Kerala for the development of fisheries and aquaculture.

Mr Achuthanandan said Mr Pawar would visit Kerala along with top officials from the Centre to study for himself the problems confronting the agriculture and fisheries sectors in the state.

He said the centre had also assured the release more quantity of wheat for supply through the Public Distribution System for the Onam festival in September. The Centre had recently slashed the state's quota of wheat for PDS supply.

The Chief Minister said it was the import policy of the Centre that had resulted in crash in prices of agricultural produces. It was the crash in the prices of these produces that pushed the farmers to penury with many of them committing suicides.

Holding the import policy of the Centre responsible for farmer's suicides, Mr Achuthanandan said the responsibility,therefore, lay with the Centre to rehabilitate them. More than 20,000 farmers had committed suicide country-wide, he said.

Asked about the allegation of CPI state Secretary Veliyam Bhargavan that the CPI(M), the major partner of the ruling LDF in Kerala, was holding "secret" talks with the managements on the self-financing college issue, Mr Achuthanandan said discussions were progressing at different levels.

However, a final decision would be taken only in consultation with all the LDF constituents. "We will not take any unilateral decision," Mr Achuthanandan, who was here to attend a two-day CPI(M) Politbureau meeting, said.

Asked if there was any complaint about the functioning of the Home ministry, he said the LDF was against use of third degree methods in criminal investigation.

However, a few incidents of lock-up and jail-deaths had taken place recently. An effort is being made to ascertain whether these were due to natural death of due to use of third degree methods.

The Home portfolio is held by Mr Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, a supporter of CPI(M) state Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan who is heading a group rival to Mr Achuthanandan.

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