CM Siddaramaiah seeks PM Modi's intervention for Bengal gram procurement
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately approve the procurement of Bengal gram (Chana) under the Price Support Scheme (PSS).
In his letter, the chief minister said he was writing in view of the deep distress for lakhs of Bengal gram growers in Karnataka, whose livelihoods are facing crisis due to prices ruling well below the MSP during the current Rabi marketing season.
He pointed out that Bengal gram is one of the principal pulse crops in the state, cultivated over 9.24 lakh hectares with an estimated production of 6.27 lakh metric tonne, sustaining farmers across districts, including Dharwad, Gadag, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Bidar, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari, Chitradurga, Bagalkote, Davanagere and Chikkamagaluru.
Despite the Centre declaring an MSP of Rs 5,875 per quintal for Bengal gram for the Rabi marketing season 2026-27, Siddaramaiah said the market prices in Karnataka were significantly below MSP, ranging between Rs 4,260 and Rs 5,813 per quintal.
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He noted that in several APMC markets, farmers were being forced to sell their produce from Rs 800 to Rs 1,200 below MSP, even before peak arrivals had begun.
"This price erosion is not merely a market aberration, it is a human crisis. When the declared MSP does not translate into real procurement on the ground, it erodes farmers' faith in the institutional framework meant to protect them," Siddaramaiah said in his letter addressed to PM Modi on 14 January, a copy of which released to the media on Thursday.
With harvest arrivals set to intensify between January and March, he cautioned that there was a genuine risk of further price collapse, aggravating rural distress.
Urging immediate intervention, Siddaramaiah called upon the Centre to approve procurement under the PSS and direct central nodal agencies.
"I urge the Government of India to immediately accord approval for procurement of Bengal gram under the Price Support Scheme and direct Central Nodal Agencies such as NAFED and NCCF to operationalise procurement centres in Karnataka without delay," he said.
The chief minister assured full cooperation from the state, stating that Karnataka had already issued necessary notifications, designated state agencies, and furnished all undertakings as per PSS guidelines.
He said the state was ready to facilitate farmer registration, warehousing, transportation and exemption of state levies to ensure smooth procurement.
"Procurement at MSP is not merely an administrative exercise, it is an affirmation of the nation's commitment to the dignity of its farmers," Siddaramaiah said.
He urged the Prime Minister to approve MSP procurement at the earliest to protect farmers from distress sales, stabilise markets and uphold the credibility of the MSP regime.
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Want to affix your nameplate: Kharge to PM on Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the redevelopment of the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi and alleged that he wants to erase every historical heritage to "simply affix" his own nameplate.
"You have committed the crime of demolishing the rare ancient heritage of Manikarnika Ghat, which was described in the Gupta period and later restored by Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar, under the pretext of renovation," Kharge said in a post on X.
In the name of beautification and commercialisation, Prime Minister Modi has ordered "bulldozers to demolish centuries-old religious, cultural, and spiritual heritage at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi", he said.
"Narendra Modi ji... You want to erase every historical heritage and simply affix your own nameplate," Kharge said in his post.
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Protestors have opposed a demolition drive under the redevelopment plan of the Manikarnika Ghat and alleged damage to a century-old idol of Ahilyabai Holkar, a charge refuted by the district administration.
District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar on Wednesday said artefacts had been "secured" by the culture department and would be reinstalled in their original form after the work is completed. He added that the revamp was aimed at improving sanitation and space management at the ghat which witnesses a large number of cremations daily.
According to Kharge, small and large temples and shrines were demolished in the name of a corridor and it is now the turn of the ancient ghats.
Kashi, the world's oldest city, is a confluence of spirituality, culture, education, and history that attracts the entire world, the Congress chief said.
"Is the intention behind all this again to benefit your business associates? You have handed over water, forests, and mountains to them, and now it's the turn of our cultural heritage," Kharge alleged.
"The people of the country have two questions for you: Couldn't restoration, cleaning, and beautification have been done while preserving the heritage? The entire country remembers how your government, without any consultation, removed the statues of great Indian personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar, from the Parliament complex and placed them in a corner," Kharge said.
At the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, the sacrifices of our freedom fighters were erased from the walls in the name of this same "renovation", he claimed.
Why were the centuries-old statues at Manikarnika Ghat, which fell victim to the bulldozers, destroyed and reduced to rubble, he asked.
"Couldn't they have been preserved in a museum? You claimed, 'Maa Ganga has called me'. Today, you have forgotten Ma Ganga. The ghats of Varanasi are the identity of Varanasi. Do you want to make these ghats inaccessible to the public?" Kharge said.
Millions of people come to Kashi every year in the final stages of their lives to attain salvation, Kharge said and asked the prime minister if his "intention to betray the faith of these devotees".
The protest, which began on Tuesday, was led by members of the Pal Samaj Samiti and supported by sections of the Marathi community and other local groups.
Mahendra Pal of the Samiti claimed that the century-old idol of Holkar at the ghat was removed during the demolition drive. Ajay Sharma, president of the Sanatan Rakshak Dal, alleged that several consecrated idols at the ghat were damaged, calling it an affront to religious sentiments.
Congress's Uttar Pradesh president, Ajay Rai, accused the BJP government of destroying the historic Manikarnika Ghat in the name of renovation, calling it "an attack on the city's soul and Sanatan culture"
Manikarnika Ghat is among the oldest and most sacred cremation grounds in Hinduism and is believed to grant 'moksha', or liberation from the cycle of birth and death, giving it immense religious and cultural significance.
