State govt urged to formulate cashew policy

MLC Ivan D’Souza has urged the State government to formulate cashew policy to promote scientific cultivation of cashew and increase the production in the State.

Briefing reporters, on Saturday, he said without scientific cultivation, growers are not getting the expected yield. With reduction in supply of cashewnuts, manufacturers have to depend on foreign countries to import. A total of 96,216 tonne cashewnuts are produced in the State. The area under cashew cultivation in Dakshina Kannada is 32,756 and total production is 21,062 tonne. There is a need to promote high yielding variety of cashewnuts to increase the production in the district.

Budgetary allocation
Stating that the Centre has reduced budgetary allocations to the State by 30 to 35 per cent for implementing the welfare programmes including mid-day meals, he asked as how much the Centre has given to the State for carrying out Swacch Bharath Abhiyan. The farmers have not been given anything by the Centre in its budget as it has considered agriculture as a state subject. The State should receive same budgetary allocation which it used to receive during the tenure of previous UPA government, he added.

Stating that the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre has failed to initiate appropriate action to bring back the black money stashed in foreign banks, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed to fulfill the election promises. While campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, Modi had said that, if voted to power, the NDA government would bring back the black money within 100 days of forming the Government. It was unfortunate that even after completing 10 months, the NDA government at the Centre had failed to put in serious efforts to bring back the black money.

By brining in an amendment to the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, the Centre has proved that it is following anti-farmer policy. The Youth Congress in Dakshina Kannada district will take out a padayatre to create awareness among the people on the amendment on April 18.

By opening zero balance account under Prime Minister’s Jan Dhan Yojana, the government has not done anything for the poor. In fact, the Jan Dhan Yojana was not a new scheme as it was implemented by the previous UPA government under financial inclusion.