Post news network
Bhubaneswar, Nov 25: Senior BJP leader and Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram Wednesday accused the state government of failing to resolve the problems of farmers.
The Union minister urged the government to send officials to meet the farmers and find ways to solve their problems.
“In Orissa, the problem is not that of central assistance. The problem is with the state government, which has not reached out to drought-affected farmers. As a result, the hapless farmers are opting to commit suicide,” Oram said.
The minister rejected the inquiry reports on farmers’ suicides and claimed that farmers are committing suicide because of drought and loan burden.
“The government is saying that no farmer has committed suicide because of drought and loan burden. However, it has admitted that farmers have borrowed money from cooperative banks and other organisations. It indicates that the loan burden is the reason behind farmers’ suicide,” he said.
“Instead of politicising the issue by organising ‘chasi samavesh’, leaders of the BJD should visit the drought-hit areas, meet the farmers and find ways to overcome the problems,” he said.
Oram said that he would soon meet Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh to apprise him about the drought situation in state.
BJD spokesperson Amar Prasad Satpathy countered Oram, sayng the state government is taking proactive steps to resolve the issues. “The state government is taking a number of steps to overcome the situation and compensate farmers who have sustained crop loss,” he said.
The government has also initiated many programmes for farmers during the rabi crop season. The state government is laying emphasis on cultivation of non-paddy crops in the drought-hit areas, which would be beneficial for farmers, Satpathy said.
The Centre should immediately provide interim assistance to the state before sending a central team to make drought assessment, as it would be a long time before the central team submits its report, he said.
