Agriculture land not for industry: Minister

Bangalore, Jan 11: Karnataka Industries Minister Katta Subramania Naidu today asserted that the State Government would not acquire cultivable agricultural land to set up industries.

Talking to newspersons here, he said if any such instance was brought to the notice of the Government, steps would be taken to restore the land to farmers.

Referring to some reports of such agricultural land being acquired for industrial purposes in Kolar district, he said land, where casuarina and ecualyptus trees were grown, were only being acquired and cultivable land was not considered.

Mr Naidu said the Government was also keen that suitable compensation was provided to farmers whose land was acquired. In some cases, the land cost were being inflated heavily to get a hefty compensation, he claimed.

When his attention was drawn to power shortage to the tune of 15 per cent, he asserted that industries would not be starved of power.

Mr Naidu said the Government would on March 11 provide on-job training to over 200,000 youths under a new scheme. Those selected would get a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 per month of which the Government would contribute Rs 750.

The Minister said the Government was also contemplating an exclusive industrial park for women at Dobbspet in Tumkur district in a 100-acre area.

He said the Government would in association with industrial bodies hold an Industries Summit in March, to which Central Ministers and leading industrialists would be invited.

UNI