Ramadoss In Coimbatore
PMK founder leader S. Ramadoss receiving petitions from farmers at a meeting convened by All Farmers’ Associations in the city on Sunday. The founder leader of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, S. Ramadoss, on Sunday criticised the politicians for their 50 years’ lip service in hailing agriculture as the backbone. Ramadoss, on Sunday criticised the politicians for their 50 years’ lip service in hailing agriculture
He was addressing a meeting of the all farmers’ association convened for discussing issues involved in the wake of Tamil Nadu Housing Board’s move to acquire agricultural lands. Dr. Ramadoss said the sector remained neglected and ignored. “The recent loan waiver announced in the Union Budget was only an attempt to sprinkle water to save agriculture from becoming extinct. This is neither adequate nor a permanent solution,” he said.
He said that the word acquisition should be removed from usage, especially acquisition of agricultural lands for highways, airports and special economic zones and industrial estates. Such a trend would affect nation’s food security. He said that PMK would mobilise farmers across the State and organise a massive agitation in April to draw the attention of the Government. PMK legislator G.K. Mani said time has come for fighting to protect the interests of the farming community cutting across political party lines. Mr. Ramadoss received more than 1,000 petitions from those affected by acquisition and likely to be affected by the proposed acquisition.
The meeting adopted 46 resolutions and the notable among them included: ban on import of agricultural produces that were available in India and export of agricultural produces before meeting the domestic demand, ensuring reasonable procurement price for agricultural produces, nationalisation and inter-linking of rivers, conservation of water bodies, total implementation of prohibition in the state, inclusion of milk and fruits in noon-meal scheme, removal of palm and coconut toddy from the list of liquor, enforcement of prohibition, enforcement of a strict ban on plastics to protect nature, realistic social security schemes for all sections of the people, creation of a separate portfolio and minister for irrigation as practiced in the southern States besides expediting the pending Inter-State water sharing irrigation schemes.
31.03.2008.
