Karnataka Minister sparks controversy, says ‘farmers wish for droughts as their loans get waived’
Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister for Sugar and Agriculture Marketing Shivanand Patil’s statement that farmers wish for repeated droughts in the state so that their loans get waived has caused a stir, with the opposition on Monday terming it as an ‘affront’ to the farming community and seeking his removal from the Ministry.
Coming down heavily on the Congress government over the remark, the BJP has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take his resignation.
Patil had in September stoked a controversy for his statement that cases of farmer suicides started rising after the compensation amount to the kin of the deceased was hiked from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
Speaking at an event in Belagavi on Sunday, Patil said, “Krishna river water is free, current is also free. The Chief Minister also gave seeds and fertilizer. Farmers will only wish that there should be repeated droughts, because their loans will be waived. You should not wish that way — even if you don’t wish there will be drought once in three-four years.”
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Noting that the state was reeling under one of the worst droughts and CM Siddaramaiah has already announced waiver of interest on medium term loans, he said, “Some (CMs) had waived loans itself, I need not tell you that, whether Siddaramaiah or Kumaraswamy or Yediyurappa (as CMs) have waived farm loan in the past.”
The government will come to the rescue of farmers when they are in distress, but it is difficult for any dispensation to do it always, he said adding that “with all these forethoughts if we grow, certainly we will have a great future.”
Calling the Minister’s statement “irresponsible”, state BJP President B Y Vijayendra hit out at the Congress government in the state.
Recalling that Patil had made “arrogant” comments on farmers’ suicides in the past, the saffron party leader said, “Shivanand Patil has once again insulted the farmers. I urge the Chief Minister to immediately call him and expostulate him, and if he is not able to mend himself, take his resignation.”
Speaking to reporters here, Vijayendra said this attitude of Congress and its government against the farmers, who feed the country, is “unfortunate” and the BJP strongly condemns it.
Former BJP national General Secretary C T Ravi accused Patil of insulting farmers and farming culture by making such statements, and that he was not fit to continue as Minister even for a Minute.
Demanding Patil’s immediate removal, he said, “Making him continue as Minister will make Congress a party to his sins. This shows the height of intoxication of power. If the CM doesn’t act, people will act… farmers are not beggars, no one can tolerate such a statement.”
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Noida airport to begin ops next month with IndiGo flights to Lucknow, Bengaluru
Noida (PTI): IndiGo on Thursday announced that it will start commercial flight operations from the Noida International Airport in Jewar from June 15, becoming the launch carrier for the greenfield airport in western Uttar Pradesh.
The first day flights will be to and fro Lucknow and Bengaluru, the airline said in a statement.
Noida International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
IndiGo said it will be the first carrier to start commercial services from the airport, the third in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to the airline, inaugural flights on June 15 will operate on the Lucknow-Noida-Bengaluru-Noida-Lucknow sector.
As per the announced schedule, flight 6E 2278 will depart from Lucknow at 7.05 am and arrive in Noida at 8.05 am before departing for Bengaluru at 8.35 am and landing there at 11.05 am.
The return flight, 6E 2279, will leave Bengaluru at 3.45 pm and reach Noida at 6.20 pm before departing for Lucknow at 6.55 pm and arriving there at 8 pm.
IndiGo said it will gradually introduce direct flights connecting Noida International Airport to more than 16 destinations across the country, including metro cities such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, besides tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Jaipur, Lucknow, Navi Mumbai, Pantnagar and Srinagar.
The airline said bookings for the flights are being opened in phases through its website, mobile application and authorised travel partners.
Aloke Singh, Chief Strategy Officer of IndiGo, said the airline was pleased to announce the launch of operations from Noida International Airport.
"Strategically positioned on the Yamuna Expressway, Noida International Airport will be the new gateway for western Uttar Pradesh alongside the NCR. As we continue to expand our operations, we remain committed to delivering affordable, on-time and hassle-free travel experiences," Singh said.
IndiGo said the airport is expected to emerge as a major domestic aviation hub and will strengthen connectivity between Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh through integrated road and rail infrastructure.
