Minister Madhu Bangarappa visits Sorab, holds review meeting
Sorab MLA Madhu Bangarappa, who was recently inducted into the Cabinet led by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, visited drought-hit areas of Sorab taluk on Friday
Sorab MLA Madhu Bangarappa, who was recently inducted into the Cabinet led by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, visited drought-hit areas of Sorab taluk on Friday and held a meeting with district officials. Bangarappa instructed Deputy Commissioner Prabhulinga Kavalikatti and other officials to ensure that rain gauge instruments were repaired immediately so that farmers do not lose the relief they are entitled to under the weather-based crop insurance scheme. He asked why farmers should pay the premium for the scheme if the rain gauge instruments were not in working condition.
Many farmers did not receive the relief they deserved last year owing to faulty instruments, he said. Mr. Kavalikatti said repair of the instruments was under way and would be completed soon. Of the 280 instruments in the district, only 72 were in working condition. Repair of all but 22 instruments had been completed, and the remaining work would be finished within a week. The Minister also instructed the Deputy Commissioner to submit a detailed report on crop loss caused by heavy rain and high-speed wind in April and May, and said he would take up the matter of compensation for farmers with the Chief Minister.
Referring to the deficit monsoon that had affected sowing and cultivation, Mr. Bangarappa said paddy cultivation was picking up following good rainfall in recent weeks. He also sought information on the availability of fodder, seeds and fertilizers. The Minister instructed officers of the Education Department to ensure that schoolchildren received good-quality shoes, and asked them to monitor distribution and return any shoes found to be of poor quality. Zilla Panchayat CEO N. Hemanth, Superintendent of Police B. Nikhil, Additional Deputy Commissioner V.
Abhishek and others were present at the meeting. Bangarappa, who earlier served as Minister for School Education in the Siddaramaiah government, received a rousing welcome from his followers and Congress workers on reaching the town.
The BriefWire