Govt will clear farmers' dues by July 31: CM

All uncleared dues to sugar cane farmers for 2013-14 will be paid by the month-end. This was the assurance given by chief minister Siddaramaiah in the legislative assembly on Tuesday after the issue rocked the monsoon session for two days. The government will pay Rs 200 per tonne of sugarcane, as part of dues to be paid dues to be paid to farmers for 2013-14. "While the gover nment will pay Rs 100 per tonne of sugarcane by July 10, another Rs 100 per tonne will be recovered from sugar companies to be paid to the farmers by July 31. If the companies cannot pay it, we shall bear the cost and pay up farmers. We will later recover the money from the companies," Siddaramaiah said after a day-long debate on the issue in both the houses. The CM said the government intends to pay these dues as part of the Rs 923 crore which is due to farmers. "As for the 2014-15 dues, farmers need to be paid Rs 2,120 crore. This is based on the fair and remunerative price of Rs 2,100 per tonne which is fixed by the Centre.T he clearance of these dues requires the Centre's fi nancial as sistance. I will take an all-party delegation to the Centre and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention," Siddaramaiah said. While the JD(S) demanded an incentive of Rs 150 per tonne, the BJP wanted the government to release Rs 200 per tonne on or before July 10. The goverment turned down both demands leading the BJP to stage a dharna in the well of the house and the JD(S) walking out. `DON'T KILL YOURSELF FOR RELIEF MONEY' CM Siddaramaiah made an emotional appeal to farmers not to commit suicide. Since February this year, 21 have taken their lives, of which seven have been sugarcane farmers."I appeal to farmers. Do not take the extreme step of committing suicide.No matter what your problems are, be they loans or crop loss, we can resolve it by talking and finding a solution. Do not sacrifice your lives for it," the CM said.On the compensation to be paid to farmers who have committed suicide, Siddaramaiah said the government is ready to increase it to over Rs 1 lakh."But this should not lead to a wrong precedent, with farmers taking the extreme step so that it benefits their debt-ridden families. Vittal Arabhavi was a one-off case, where Rs 10 lakh was given to his family," the CM said. `HAVE SHETTAR, HDK EVER TILLED LAND?' Ego, fury and sarcasm marked the debate on sugarcane armers between chief minister Siddaramaiah and opposition eaders Jagadish Shettar and HD Kumaraswamy.Siddaramaiah said neither Shet ar nor Kumaraswamy knew anything about farming. "I do not hink Shettar, being part of the rading community, has ever tilled and. As far as Kumaraswamy goes, he would not even have seen farming. His father H D Deve Gowda may have tilled land but Kumaraswamy was born and bred in the city," the CM said. The statement riled both Shettar and Kumaraswamy who attacked Siddaramaiah for making light of the crisis. "I have worked as an agriculturist. I have a banana farm on a piece of land which is being investigated for the third consecutive time by the govern ment. And this time, it is by the revenue secretary," Kumaras wamy told the CM. ONLY 5 MILLS HAVE CLEARED ARREARS Sugar minister HS Mahadev Prasad said 55 sugar factories have to clear bills worth Rs 923.09 crore to farmers. So far, five sugar factories have cleared the bills. As a first step, the government had seized sugar stock worth Rs 7.8 lakh metric tones from 28 mills, which will be auctioned to pay the pending bills of the farmers in a phased manner. Pvt aided teachers to get 180-day maternity leave Belagavi: The 180-day maternity leave facility, which government teachers are entitled to, will be extended to those working in private aided institutions.Primary and secondary education minister Kimmane Ratnakar disclosed this in the council on Tuesday. Basavaraj Horatti (JDS) said based on work experience and seniority, employees of private aided schools should get increment and other perks. He felt services of teachers in private aided institutions who retire midway should be continued till the end of the academic year, like government teachers.The minister said he will look into it. CET bill tabled The Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Determination of Fee) (Amendment) Bill, 2015, was tabled in the assembly on Tuesday which provides for a state common entrance test committee for admissions to professional colleges.Besides, unaided professional education institutions will be able to admit students through a single common entrance test conducted on an all-India basis at the state level. This will be followed by centralized counselling through a single window in accordance with procedures specified by the admission overseeing panel. -TOI