Devpt of rural areas,farmers will get priority in budget:Yeddy

Mysore, Jul 13 (UNI) Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today said that rural area development and extending benefits to farmers will get priority in the budget to be tabled by him on July 17.

Speaking to newspersons at the helipad here, he said the welfare of farmers was the primary concern of his government and steps in this direction would be taken after holding talks with the department concerned.

Mr Yeddyurappa assured that BJP would fulfill its promises made in the election manifesto.

Referring to opposition party MLAs joining the BJP, Mr Yeddyurappa said the doors were always open for those who believe in the party's principles and ideologies.

The Chief Minister announced that the government would grant Rs two as bonus for every litre of milk to all the farmers in the state.

Later, participating at an interaction programme with farmers at the University Senate Hall after performing pooja at the shrine atop the Chamundi hills here, he said the cabinet would take steps to fix a scientific price for crops and also frame a policy on compost.

In the budget special attention would be given to agriculture and more emphasis would be laid on organic farming in order to reduce the usage of chemical fertilisers, he added.

More encouragement would be given to women in taking up agri-based cottage industries particularly in the rural areas. The government was planning to set up cold storage in all APMCS and priority would be given to horticulture and sericulture.

Charging the officials with creating artificial shortage of fertilizers, he said ''if they had discharged their duties sincerely, the problems relating to farmers would not have scaled such dimensions.

He called upon the officials to focus seriously on mitigating the problems of farmers.

Mr Yeddyurappa said he had convened a meeting in Bangalore to discuss the demand for additional amount of Rs 180 for sugarcane, which remained unlifted by the sugar factories.

UNI BSP MSP ROY LS RAI2014