<p class="bodytext">Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said the Karnataka government has appealed to the central government to increase the guaranteed man-days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from 100 days to 150 days, as over 200 taluks have been declared drought-hit in the state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Krishi Mela 2023 at Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra campus in Bengaluru.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shivakumar urged the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bangalore to undertake greater research to help farmers increase their yield so that they can continue farming and not sell their lands under any conditions.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“The farmers of Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapura and Kolar districts are role models for the entire country as they have achieved considerable success in farming of vegetables, fruits and flowers, besides revolutionising silk and milk production,” he said. The farmers in these districts are making use of scarce resources to earn great returns, he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who inaugurated the mela, urged farmers to keep the “green revolution” going. “For this to happen, new varieties, new medicines, improved soil fertility, technological innovation, fair prices to farmers and godowns for storage need to be set-up. Sustainable farming and agriculture growth is possible only then,” he said, emphasising the need to develop climate and disease-resistant crops.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said the Karnataka government has appealed to the central government to increase the guaranteed man-days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from 100 days to 150 days, as over 200 taluks have been declared drought-hit in the state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Krishi Mela 2023 at Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra campus in Bengaluru.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shivakumar urged the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bangalore to undertake greater research to help farmers increase their yield so that they can continue farming and not sell their lands under any conditions.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“The farmers of Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapura and Kolar districts are role models for the entire country as they have achieved considerable success in farming of vegetables, fruits and flowers, besides revolutionising silk and milk production,” he said. The farmers in these districts are making use of scarce resources to earn great returns, he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who inaugurated the mela, urged farmers to keep the “green revolution” going. “For this to happen, new varieties, new medicines, improved soil fertility, technological innovation, fair prices to farmers and godowns for storage need to be set-up. Sustainable farming and agriculture growth is possible only then,” he said, emphasising the need to develop climate and disease-resistant crops.</p>
