Give 50 % funds to waive off farm loans, Kumaraswamy tells centre
Bengaluru, June 17: Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy appealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give 50 per cent funds to waive off the farm loans of more than 85 lakh farmers who are under distress.
Speaking at the fourth NITI Aayog meeting held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday, Kumaraswamy explained the problems being faced by the farmers in the meeting. Farmers were in trouble because of drought, crop loss and other issues. It was the duty of the government to come to their rescue in such a situation. So, the state government has planned to waive off the farm loans of farmers at once, he said.
The state government is committed to introduce innovative programmes for the benefit of the farmers. It has already introduced some programmes. Every year, the state experiences natural calamities like drought or floods and the government has been spending huge money to handle this situation. In the last five years, the State Calamity Relief Funds (SCRF) has increased six times and this has been causing a burden on the state Exchequer, he said.
Under the SCRF, the centre has released just Rs 1375 crore between 2015 and 2020. Compared to other states, the amount is too minimum. So, the centre should increase this amount to help the state, he appealed.
Both capital investment and skills development are inevitable to set up self employment. The state government has been taking various measures for skills development. But it should be doubled. In view of this, employment generation and skills development subjects should be included in the agenda of the NITI Aayog, he suggested.
Welcoming the Prime Minister’s Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission of the central government, he said that the Karnataka government has also introduced Yashaswini and other ambitious programmes. Total 145 lakh beneficiaries from 30 lakh families were getting the benefit of this scheme, he said.
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Ball Python rescued from housing society in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): A ball python, generally found in Africa, has been rescued from a residential area in Mumbai, a wildlife welfare group representative said on Thursday.
The reptile was found abandoned at a housing society in Mahim last week, triggering panic in the area.
After being alerted, members of a wildlife welfare NGO reached the spot, rescued the snake and handed it over to the forest department, he said.
The ball python is not native to India. Hence, the reptile found here is suspected to be a lost or abandoned illegal pet, the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) said.
The forest department is investigating the matter to initiate necessary action, it said.
The snake will be rehabilitated in consultation with experts from RAWW, the NGO said.
