Price crash and fungal infection force Kolar farmers to dump quintals of mangoes on highway
Kolar, Jun 27: Mango growers of the district have dumped many quintals of mangoes following the Anthracnose fungal infection and crash in mango prices, a farmer leader said.
"Mango growers are in distress in the district due to terrible losses. With no aid coming from the government, farmers have dumped loads of mangoes by the roadside in some parts of Srinivasapura in the district," Kolar District Mango Growers and Marketing Association president Neelaturu Chinnappa Reddy told P T I.
According to him, it was a triple whammy for the mango growers this year.
There was unexpected rain and hailstorm in the district causing severe damage to the crops.
Further, there was Anthracnose fungal attack on the mangoes and third was the crash in mango prices, Reddy said.
"This year farmers took only 30 per cent of the crop, of which half of the crops were destroyed due to fungal attack. Further the crash in mango prices caused immense loss to the growers," the farmer lamented.
He complained that the government focused entirely on COVID and its relief work but did not look at the mango growers who suffered severe losses.
Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited chairman K V Nagaraju said most of the crop destroyed this time is Totapuri variety though other crops suffered minimum losses.
"I visited the spot with the state Horticulture Minister R Shankar. Only Totapuri variety of mango got fungal infections. There was very less damage to Benisha (Banaganapalli), Neelam and Mallika mangoes," Nagaraju told P T I.
He also said that he has written to the government to give a compensation of Rs 50,000 per hectare to the Totapuri growers of Kolar who incurred losses.
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Congress to challenge Waqf bill's constitutionality in Supreme Court 'very soon'
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday said it will "very soon" challenge in the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 that has been passed in Parliament.
The opposition party also said it will continue to resist all "assaults" of the Modi government on the principles, provisions, and practices that are contained in the Constitution.
Parliament early Friday approved the Bill after the Rajya Sabha gave its nod to the contentious legislation following an over 13-hour debate.
In a post in Hindi on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "The atmosphere in the country regarding the Waqf Board Amendment Bill is such that it feels like this bill has been brought to harass minorities. Late at night in the Lok Sabha, when this bill was passed, it received 288 votes in favour and 232 votes against. Why did this happen? This means there are many flaws in the bill."
From this, one can guess that despite opposition from various parties, this bill was brought arbitrarily, he said.
"This 'might is right' -- won’t be good for anyone!" Kharge said.
In a post on X, AICC general secretary in-charge organisation Jairam Ramesh said, "The INC will very soon be challenging in the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the Wakf (Amendment) Bill."
"We are confident and will continue to resist all assaults of the Modi Govt on the principles, provisions, and practices that are contained in the Constitution of India," he said.
The discussion on the Waqf Bill in the Rajya Sabha witnessed staunch objections from opposition parties, which termed the Bill "anti-Muslim" and "unconstitutional" with the government responding that the "historic reform" would benefit the minority community.
The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was passed in the Lok Sabha early Thursday, with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
Ramesh also said that the INC's challenge of the CAA, 2019 is being heard in the Supreme Court.
The INC's challenge of the 2019 amendments to the RTI Act, 2005 is being heard in the Supreme Court, he noted.
"The INC's challenge to the validity of the amendments to the Conduct of Election Rules (2024) is being heard in the Supreme Court.
"The INC's intervention to uphold the letter and spirit of the Places of Worship Act, 1991 is being heard in the Supreme Court," the Congress leader added.
The Waqf Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was passed in the Lok Sabha early Thursday, with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
Parliament also approved the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2025, with the Rajya Sabha giving its nod. The Lok Sabha had already given its assent to the Bill.
