Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Farmers told to adopt alternative crops


Minister D.K. Shivakumar after hoisting the national flag at the Independence Day function at Sir M. Visvesvaraya District Stadium in Mandya on Monday.— photo: special arrangement 
 
Minister D.K. Shivakumar after hoisting the national flag at the Independence Day function at Sir M. Visvesvaraya District Stadium in Mandya on Monday
Citing deficient rainfall in the catchment areas of Cauvery in Kodagu, Energy Minister and district in-charge D.K. Shivakumar on Monday appealed to farmers not to take up paddy and sugarcane cultivation during the ongoing kharif season.
After hoisting the tricolour at the Independence Day celebrations at the Sir M. Visvesvaraya District Stadium here, he said the government wants to restrict paddy and sugarcane cultivation in the areas dependent on Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir as the storage level is very low. He encouraged ryots to take up alternative crops instead.
“The State government is committed to repairing all major canals in the district. We have already modernised 500 km of canals and their distributaries, and we are committed to developing 1,500 km of canals in Mandya district in the coming days,” he said.
He also listed out several schemes for farmers, including Krishi Bhagya and Pashu Bhagya, introduced by the State government.
Earlier, the Energy Minister inspected the guard of honour by various contingents, including the District Armed Reserve (DAR), the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and Scouts and Guides. Students of various educational institutions stole the show with their colourful mass drill and cultural programmes.
Members of the Mandya Youth Group displayed a 70-foot-long national flag at the stadium.
Deputy Commissioner S. Ziyaullah, Superintendent of Police C.H. Sudheer Kumar Reddy, and a few elected representatives and officials took part in the programme.
Students’ surprise
Meanwhile, students of a private school displayed posters of D.K. Ravi, Kallappa Handibag and M.K. Ganapathy — senior officers who committed suicide in recent times — during their performance at the Independence Day programme.
However, officials instantly stopped the music for a while and collected the posters from them. According to teachers of the school, Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar was unhappy with the students’ act.
While Education Department officials refused to comment on the issue, school authorities said they did not have any intention to glorify the officers. The suicides of all three officers had created a storm in Assembly sessions, besides prompting associations to hold a series of protests.

Source : The Hindu 

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