Chennai Meeting 10th March 2014 Lok Sabha Election 2014 Appeal to Political Parties on the eve of the Lok Sabha Election 2014 by Non Governmental Organisations on Agriculture and Allied Sectors. 1. Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy which provides basic food for the entire nation, livelihood and employment to over 65 per cent of the population. Hence the Indian Economic Policy and Guiding Principles should be focused on agriculture and allied sectors and it should be supported with Political Will of the Government. 2. As land is the basic resource for agriculture, farm land should be protected at all cost. To ensure food security to the nation and livelihood and job opportunity to the farmers, agricultural land should never be converted for any other purpose 3. Government should take action to convert wasteland into arable lands by special schemes. 4. In order to ensure cultivation of every unit of arable land, government should advance Rs.15,000/- per acre per annum as grant to every land holder. In addition to ensure educated youths to pursue agriculture, they should be given monthly incentives. 5. As rapid urbanization and migration to urban areas impacted agriculture and allied activities very much, all efforts should be made to promote agriculture and allied industries in rural areas to provide employment. 6. Farmers engaged in rain fed agriculture and depending on lift irrigation are to be supported by special programmes and subsidies. 7. Organic farming should be promoted with full vigour. Farmers involved in organic farming should be provided with subsidy. Bio fertilizers and bio pesticides should also be provided subsidy as in the case of subsidy for chemical fertilizers. Action should be taken to market organic farm produce in urban areas by Government. 8. Government should give full grant to farmers who would harness solar energy for agricultural activities. 9. As Government is engaged in fixing support price for paddy and sugarcane, it should be extended to all agricultural produce like vegetables, fruits, oil seeds, aromatics etc. Price fixing should be done by an independent body consisting of farmers, farm experts and agricultural scientists. The farmers should get economic price for their produce and adequate infrastructural facilities should be provided to ensure this. 10. Agriculture, rural industry and rural employment oriented technology, communication and higher education should be developed. Priority should be given to develop capacity building to rural youths to take up agriculture and rural industry related activities. 11. In order to boost Indian economy, policy decision should be taken not to export raw materials and export only finished and value added products. 12. As carried out in other states, Panchayat Raj Institutions should be given more freedom, powers and funds to carry out rural development activities. 13. The fund spent in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme should be in consonance with the output of work. As in Kerala and in other states, activities under MGNREGS should be extended to take up development of private lands too. 14. The works taken up by the elected MLAs and MPs under the Constituency Development Fund should be carried out through local government and not through contractors 15. Non Governmental Organisations had played a vital role in shaping development and people oriented programmes in the last five decades. Their role should be recognized and they should be actively involved in implementation of the programmes. 16. Subsidy should be given to essential commodities like Petrol, Diesel, Electricity and Milk to all sections of society. 17. Both at the Centre and State, a forum of apolitical experts, subject matter specialists, civil society organizations and intellectuals should be constituted and consulted before framing new legislations, policy and plan. 18. At the Centre, State and District level, apolitical monitoring structures should be instituted to monitor and to make - mid course corrections. ----
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 05:03:32 +0000