The Observer, Volume 22 Edition 22

Garbage

2

Dust clouds on roads of Siruguppa make citizens uneasy; health and business afftected | P 4

Reeling under losses, farmers demand fixed prices at APMCs

Say contractors stall payment for months

By Yukta Mudgal

prices in APMCs

As per the Farmers Portal, the government has fixed Rs 2,970 a quintal as minimum support price for jowar Rs 1,962 for maize, and Rs 6,600 for tur dal. But these MSPs remain on paper

With -4°C, N India to see severe cold wave

North India must brace for another cold wave beginning Saturday, with temperatures in the plains set to dip as low as -4 degrees Celsius, a weather expert predicted Thursday, warning of an 'extreme' spell of cold weather which will peak between January 16 and 18.

Hindustan Times Apple to produce touchscreen Macs

Farmers

in Karnataka incur heavy losses as their produce is not bought for fixed prices at Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs)

Farmers complain there is no fixed price for produce in the APMCs due to which contractors buy their produce at lower rates, leaving them at a loss

Tulsabai Rajput, a farmer in Jigeri, Gajendragad, who owns a 10-acre farm, said: “I sow maize seeds in the farm, but there is no growth ” It takes a lot of time to grow and dry maize “Once we sell our produce, the contractor stalls payment for months ”

She buys cow dung for Rs 2,000 and uses it on her land but still

there is no visible growth She spends Rs 10,000 a month on chemicals and seeds

Shrikant Kempewal, another farmer, said:“Due to heavy rain in 2022, all my crops got ruined and I did not sell anything in the mandi ” works in others farm now

Umesh Jigular, who grows chana, maize and tur, and rears

silkworms, said he buys 12,000 seeds every year and gets a yield of one quintal on 1 5 acres of land A borewell he dug two years ago cost him Rs 1 lakh

“Four years ago, I used to earn Rs 2,500 for one quintal of maize, but now I get Rs 1,700 to Rs 1,800,” Jigular shared, adding that the government should fix

Srikant Sipatrapa Singadi who earns Rs 15,000 a month working as an electrician in Bengaluru said: “There is no profit in farming, hence I decided to not choose farming as a profession and moved to the city ” His father owns 25 goats and a cow They do not sell the milk and earn but consume it for themselves

Hanumanth H Hiradoni, a farmer in Paramanahatti village, grows beans, tomatoes and maize in his one-acre farm He earns Rs 1,700 by selling a quintal of maize and spends Rs 6,000 on pesticides He said that after spending around Rs 35,000 for four months, he earns only Rs 15,000 “Rs 15,000 is too less Atleast Rs 20,000 will be good ”

Continued on page 4

Mining dust causes Sandur horticulturists distress

By Yashaswini Sri

Miningdust has caused a massive loss to horticulture in Sandur taluk of Ballari district The horticulture department estimates it to be between 75% and 90%

The main crops grown in Sandur under the horticulture department are figs, anjura, promegranates, chillies, bell peppers and bananas

Badapati Chinna Babu, an environmental engineer explained to The Observer: “ mining dust accumulates on leaves, which obstructs the absorption of sunlight and stops… photosynthesis. Particulate matter (iron, lead and arsenic) pollutes the air, as well as blocks sunlight which hinders photosynthesis of the plant This stops vegetation growth, and the stomata are blocked The leaves of the plant are damaged, resulting in crop failure ”

Farmers cannot identify crop deficiencies initially because mining dust covers leaves The root

cause is not known and cannot be treated in time Mining dust pollutes the surrounding soil as well “The soil pH is supposed to be neutral (6 5-8) for roots to absorb nutrients Because of mining dust, the pH is disrupted, and the soil is contaminated ” he added Gajarappa, a seasonal farmer who makes a living by growing bananas on his two acres of land, shared: “Five years ago, I was a regular farmer who grew maize and made a living I was introduced to horticulture by the horticulture department and promised I would make more profits I decided to shift to bananas. This year, I lost all my harvest because of mining dust I’m in a lot of debt and have no option but to work as a labourer in these mining companies ”

K Lakshamma, the wife of a farmer who grows chillies and groundnuts, said mining dust has increased over the years Mining blasts have been a constant, and we cannot complain to anyone I have a son and a daughter who

are still studying We cannot harvest if mining dust continues to haunt our fields Last year, we lost most of our harvest This year, we have lost our hopes for a complete harvest We have been complaining to the horticulture department for years They are helpless as well ” MLK Naidu, president of the

Apple Inc is working on adding touchscreens to its Mac computers, a move that would defy long-held company orthodoxy and embrace an approach that co-founder Steve Jobs once called “ergonomically terrible” LiveMint

TN adopts resolution on Sethu project

The Tamil Nadu assembly on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution, moved by chief minister MK Stalin, urging the Union Government to continue the Sethusamudram Project as it helps Tamil Nadu and India’s economic growth ANI

LAC situation stable but unpredictable: Army chief Army chief General Manoj Pande on Thursday said the situation along the northern borders with China is under control but remains ‘unpredictable ’ Addressing the annual Army Day press conference, he said five of the seven thorny issues between the two armed forces have been presented on the table ANI

Pillar collapse: Metro suspends engineers

The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation on Wednesday suspended a deputy chief engineer, executive engineer and site engineer following the death of two people after an under- construction metro pillar collapsed on them The Indian Express

Kejriwal asked to pay Rs 163 cr spent on ads

The Delhi government’s publicity wing, the Directorate of Information and Publicity, has asked chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, in his capacity as AAP’s national convenor, to reimburse over Rs 163 crore spent by it on advertisements which are in violation of Supreme Court guidelines within 10 days The Indian Express

strewn around, pigs have a free run in Prabhu Camp; residents worry about health | P

Farmers spend around Rs 40,000 on seeds, fertilizers and drip irrigation but only earn Rs 15,000 on their produce in APMCs | Credit: Yukta M

Farmers’ Association of Sandur, said: “I have written a letter on behalf of all the farmers to the mining companies to compensate us for the losses we have faced because of the mining dust They always promise compensation, but we never receive compensation and we are tired of these lies ”

Farmers suffering from horticulture losses switch jobs, leaving cultivable land uncultivable | Credit:Yashaswini Sri

Shor tage of vets creates cattle health crisis in Savanur taluk

Animals are still recovering from skin disease

By Hamsaveni N

There are only four veterinarians and 10 veterinary clinics to cover 64 villages in Savanur taluk in Haveri district Cattle in the area are still recovering from lumpy skin disease

As of 2022, Savanur taluk had 30,748 cattle, 63,950 sheep and goats, and 30,000 chickens The taluk contributes 7% to the animal husbandry of Karnataka Somangowdru Mallangowdru, a farmer from Jallapura village, said: “Veterinary services in the taluk are bad because the availability of veterinary doctors is low. If we call a doctor today, he will come in two days It is not the doctors’ fault but the government’s job to appoint more veterinary doctors in the villages Vaccination helped us to save our cattle from lumpy skin disease I’ve spent a lot of money on medicines to treat the disease ”

Anand, a villager from Bairapura, informed The Observer: “The need of veterinary doctors is more in villages than in any other places In villages, animal husbandry is a part of farmers’ life It gives us an opportunity to earn money Veterinary services in

Quiz

1 What company was originally called "Cadabra"?

2 Which planet in the Milky Way is the hottest?

3 Which scientist discovered the radioactive element radium?

4 B C Roy Award is given in the field of?

5 Under Akbar, the Mir Bakshi was required to look after? Answers on page 4

Around the city

Excuse me brother - Stand Up solo by Akash Gupta, Jan 13 2023, Venue Good shepherd auditorium Museum Road, Opposite Patricks Church Srinath Narayanan Teaches

Chess - Jan 14 onwards, Online streaming

Ark Of Meraki presents Pottery Workshop - Jan 15 2023 at 5:00

PM Venue - Small world, 136, S T Bed, Cauvery ColonySwara Samrat Festival - Jan 14 and 15, 2023 Venue - Chowdiah Memorial Hall 16th Cross, G D Park Extension, 2nd Main Road,

Savanur is the worst ” Parashuram Allur, a farmer from Allipura, said: “If diseases like lumpy skin disease attack our cattle again, with inadequate veterinary staff, it would be really tough for farmers and veterinary doctors in rural areas Farmers in Savanur lost cattle worth around Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 I spent a lot of money on my cattle, and

they are recovering We need more veterinary doctors in our taluk to cover all villages We need doctors to attend to sick animals at the earliest, which is not happening now ”

Dr Ravindra Gujarathi, a veterinary doctor in Savanur taluk, said: “Shortage of veterinary personnel is a problem in rural areas It is tough for us to cover

all villages and attend to cases. We try to do our best The distance between each village in Savanur is 3 km to 5 km When the lumpy skin disease was at its peak, it was tough for us to treat the animals We had to work day and night to bring the situation under control Vaccination did help but it was chaotic ”

Veterinary clinics in the taluk lack good facilities to treat animals “In emergency cases or for blood tests, we need to take the animals to the nearest district veterinary hospital ”

N Ramesh, Joint Director, Admin, at the animal husbandry department, informed The Observer: "400 veterinary doctor posts are to be filled very soon We are aware that a lot of rural areas lack veterinary doctors A case regarding the same is running in the court and we are expecting the judgment to come out at the end of the month These 400 posts will fill in the shortage of veterinarians ”

According to data from the animal husbandry department, a total of 3 lakh animals were affected by lumpy skin disease statewide Of these, 26,680 died About 25,000 head of cattle were affected in Haveri Of these, 2,833 died The government has spent Rs 5 08 crore in compensating for the cattle deaths About 2,500 cattle farmers in Savanur have received the compensation hamsaveni@iijnm org

Lalbagh lacks signs pointing to toilets

The famous Lalbagh lacks location maps and toilet signboards Visitors find it difficult to locate themselves. The garden lacks the basics like direction boards to toilets.

Navya Sruthi

Garbage lies on footpaths despite BBMP promise

In August 2022, BBMP said all the garbage blackspots would be cleared But there still are garbage heaps lying on footpaths Though there’s a fine that can be levied, people still throw garbage Ishan Rathi

A #MeToo movement is required for men

It is not enough for us to talk about sexual abuse faced by women As a society, we must also talk about sexual abuses faced by men Men who face sexual harassment are made to feel unmanly by our patriarchal society There must be a movement like #MeToo to give them a platform to talk about their traumas Ahona Roy

We need more physical bookstores in digital era

Bengaluru has Blossom Book House and other bookstores, but not every book reader can visit them every time In the digital era, where people are glued to electronic devices to read, we need more bookstores and libraries to revive the magic of physical books Bookstores will help authors to find audience Yashaswini Sri

Garbage around, pigs roam free in Prabhu Camp

Residents worry about health of their children

By Arsha BS

Temperature:24° C Forecast: Maximum -29° C Minimum : 13° C

Pigs

roaming around in insanitary conditions in Prabhu Camp of Kampli taluk are making the life of residents miserable

Children living in the camp are malnourished Parents worry they could easily get infected by living in these insanitary conditions with pigs around Kalavathi, a resident, informed The Observer: “Pigs roaming around has become a regular thing We don’t know what to do There are children at home. I am scared that they are going to get some disease from the pigs.”

About 300 families reside in Prabhu Camp Most houses do not have kitchens, forcing them to cook outside their houses and throw waste in the premises which attracts pigs

The Observer noticed that the pigs roam inside the houses They come back even when they are driven away Honnooramma, another resident, said: “We have

tried to get rid of them, but they keep coming back It is a problem We don’t have a choice other than throwing garbage outside ” Anand Mengala, another resident, said they have taken thematter to panchayat “They don’t

seem to consider this matter important What can we do if we don’t have a proper waste-management system in place?”

Prabhu Camp comes under the Muddapura panchayat Asked about the pig menace, an official

at the Muddapura panchayat office said it is a common issue “We understand the seriousness, but the residents should do something about it They are the ones generating the waste ” Shashikala Iyer, who works in the United Way Bengaluru, a non-profit organisation, said that rural sanitation is hard to achieve The most important thing to do is to make them aware of the consequences If the authorities are not helping, they could figure out simple ways of dealing with it

“Segregation is the important aspect They could start by segregating the waste They could make pits and dump kitchen and food waste there If all the families start doing this in , the pigs will eventually stop roaming around everywhere. Pigs roaming around is a major health hazard,” Iyer added.

The website of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mentions that swine flu, E coli and ringworm are a few common diseases that can spread due to close contact of people with pigs and animals in general Those with weakened immune systems are more prone to these infections arsha s@iijnm org

With inadequate veterinary staff and lack of good facilities, farmers of the Savanur taluk have to suffer a huge loss | Credit: Hamsaveni N

Families living in Prabhu Campruns runs at a risk of getting infected with diseases like swine flu, E coli and ringworm| Credit: Arsha BS

‘All are not equal before the law’

Educated youths must not head towards extreme movements, says political science professor

By Vindhya Pabolu

Three instances of atrocities against dalits were reported in recent weeks On November 18, 2022, a water tank in Hegotara village of Chamarajnagar district was “purified” with gomutra (cow urine) after a dalit drank water from it Human feces were found in a drinking water tank of dalits in Irayur village of Tamil Nadu on December 29 A woman was allegedly beaten up for entering a temple in Amruthalli in Bengaluru on December 31 To understand why such things happen, The Observer spoke with Yelamanchalli Vasundhara, a political science professor at Osmania University

Observer interview

Excerpts from an interview:

For centuries, Dalits have faced discrimination, marginalization and violence which continues even today. What do you think is the main reason behind this?

The reason for these goes back hundreds of years to the emergence of the caste system The caste system was started by Manu as a way to divide people based on their occupations According to Hinduism, dalits are thought to have been born from the feet of Lord Brahma They are treated as low-caste people because they were born from feet, known for doing labour, and

Mining dust: Farmers’ foe

Continued from page 1

treated as a minority by highercaste people That’s where all the caste differences began It has worsened India's division People belonging to higher castes have begun to dominate society, and to criticize, beat, humiliate, and treat dalits as slaves Dalits were never given any rights before independence High-caste people enjoy privileges…

There were many personalities like Ambedkar, Jyotirao Phule who fought for dalits’ rights and reservations to demolish the caste system However, India has never forgotten the roots of caste India still didn’t receive social justice

Higher-caste people will never accept lower-caste people in this country It’s one of the fundamental reasons for all the attacks on dalits we witness today

Recently, there have been cases where dalits have been

Ed ucatio n i s a ne cessity for tod ay's ge nera tion, espe cially the upp er class Fr om an ea rly age, it is impo rtan t to tea ch everyo ne abou t t reati ng eve ryone eq ually an d n ot to loo k d own at a nyone Ther e is a nee d to r aise awar eness ab out the atr ocitie s do ne to the se minor ities and th eir tho ughts The youth sho uld no lon ger fee l a se nse of caste an d t heir dif feren ces

Yelamanchalli Vasundhara

beaten for different reasons, and the government filed lawsuits Has justice been served? What do you think of the government's approach to these situations? Do you think that the government has to bring some more rules and regulations?

No, justice was not served Over the years, the government has enacted some of the most effective rules, Acts and rights to help these people obtain justice (But) people working in the administration do not know any of these

There is a possibility that if any of these officials knew the crimes committed against dalits, the government's response could give justice to the victims As a result, people may be afraid to repeat the same crimes It’s not about the laws; it’s about implementation As a matter of fact, it takes time

for Indian society to transform into a reaffirming one. Everyone pledges ‘all are equal before the law’, but in reality, it isn't happening Before independence there were many powerful social reformers who were willing to fight for these people and bring justice One of the things the government needs to do is include topics like ‘Laws for the protection of dalits’ in educational institutions This will ensure that everyone can gain knowledge on this subject and understand how to treat people with empathy

People’s mindsets play an important role in these situations Even after the outlawing of untouchability, there are individuals who still practise social evils. What do you think about it?

Yes, thoughts should be altered not only by higher castes, but also by lower castes Literacy rates have increased greatly among all castes compared to the past People should initiate a change in their mindset to create social change They have to know the difference between justice and injustice Broad thinking should be developed with the help of education Education is light Only education has the power to mould a person into a good human being In my view, people should undergo some positive change in their social habits and perspectives through education

How should dalits act in such situations? Do they need to

make some changes?

Firstly, there is no unity among dalits The Constitution provides them with laws and benefits that they should be aware of Changes should be made among the dalits as well They shouldn’t be dependent on reservations It would be better for them to study hard, become stronger by themselves, and eventually get themselves involved with society This way, they will understand what is happening around them To earn social justice, they should take action and fight for themselves Nothing is impossible if we try What will be the state of dalits in the future? What measures should today’s generation take to stop situations like these from recurring?

Education is a necessity for today's generation, especially the upper class. From an early age, it is important to teach everyone about treating everyone equally. There is a need to raise awareness about the atrocities done to these minorities and their thoughts The youth should no longer feel a sense of caste and their differences Every person has the same blood and should remove the inferiority complexes between higher and lower castes The educated youth should not walk in the direction of extreme religious movements If they aim to create a nation where everyone treats each other equally, there is nothing impossible in the world vindhya p@iijnm org

MLK

Naidu, president of the Farmers’ Association of Sandur, said: “I have written a letter on behalf of all the farmers to the mining companies to compensate us for the losses we have faced because of the mining dust They always promise to compensate, but we are tired of their white lies ”

Hanumesh Nayak, senior assistant director of horticulture, said: “Villages near mining-affected areas are troubled by mining dust People are reluctant to complain about mining companies The better option for farmers who have suffered losses is to switch jobs, which leaves cultivable land uncultivated Farmers either demand compensation from mining companies or shift their jobs to working in mining companies ”

He continued: “With so many mining companies established in Sandur, mining dust is persistent and damaging the crops on a larger scale The cultivable land is left, and agriculture and horticulture are not taken up as a source of income People depend on mining companies for jobs " yashaswini s@iijnm org

Read the complete story on: www theweeklyobserver in

Karnataka’s unprotected monuments lie buried under piles of garbage

The state has 30k of them

By Siddhi Chauhan

According to a report published by the ministry of tourism, the total number of foreign visitors to monuments in 2021-22 was 3 18 lakh, while domestic visitors numbered 2 6 crore

Marvellous

architecture hidden by piles of garbage, vandalised structures and walls defaced by graffiti characterize Karnataka’s unprotected monuments

According to an article published by The Hindu, Karnataka has 844 monuments of state importance protected under the Karnataka Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1961. 609 centrally protected monuments of national importance come under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) The state is also home to 30,000 unprotected monuments

Shambhu Hosamani, a resident of Adur village ,Kukanoor, said: “Currently even the protected monuments are in a sorry state Hampi, for example, has monuments that have fallen apart ”

About the condition of the Koppal fort, he said: “The fact that

entry is free makes it convenient for all kinds of people to enter the place Since the fort is located in a local area, one finds the place littered with all kinds of waste ” Sweta S, a 27-year-old tourist, said: “I visited the fort a few years ago Apart from me, there were a lot of people there It made me

wonder about the revenue the state could have generated out of this fort problem that occurs when someone decides to travel to an unprotected monument is accessibility The path leading to the monument is tiring as it is often hidden within a narrow stretch of inhabited streets ”

Dontha Prashant, assistant professor of economics, Hyderabad University, said if a state preserves a monument, it will preserve historic legacy, generate revenue, and help local economy

If the path to a monument is not well maintained, then it will get few or no visitors “Similar is the case with a monument If not protected, it will soon get inaccessible When a structure remains unprotected, then there is a danger that its structure might get erased and forgetten ”

Manoj Kumar, assistant professor, of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University said not every monument should be protected and if this is done then it will not be possible for the government to give proper attention to each monument siddhi c@iijnm org

Read the complete story on: www theweeklyobserver in

Total number of foreign visitors to these monuments in 2021-22 was 3 18 lakh, while domestic visitors numbered 2 6 crore | Credit: Ajay Rag

Govt schools in Sandur lack infra to manage the influx of students

Pupils of two classes are put in one big room

By Yashaswini Sri

Post-pandemic, Sandur has seen a rapid shift in students from private to government schools, which lack adequate infrastructure to handle the rush of the students

Jaatappa, the headmaster of the Government Higher Primary School, Bhujanganagara, informed The Observer: “We see very few dropouts every year This school has more girls than boys Sadly, we have no benches and classrooms to accommodate the growing number of students I have written to the block education officer, but my request lies unresolved. Our staff find innovative ways to teach students ”

Prasanna Kumar, the headmaster of the Government Higher Primary School, said: “98% of the registered of students attend their classes daily without fail We have a strength of 85 students, but only four classrooms for first to seventh standards Most infrastructure comes in the form of donations from the National Mining Development Corporation (NMDC), but it is never enough for us to accomodate all the students in school ”

Sunita Sundar, a Hindi teacher in Sandur, shared: “Students are

very intelligent and always eager to learn new things every day We have a 90% pass rate throughout the taluk To accommodate the students, we merged two small classrooms and made them into one huge classroom Students in the first and second classes sit and learn together ”

Transport is a big issue for schoolchildren and their parents

Shiva Kumar, a resident of Narayanapur, said: “I send my brother’s children to a nearby school every day We can afford to

send them to private schools, but finding transport is difficult There are no choices in schools, and the fees are very high We are aware of the conditions at the government school, but we are left with no choice ”

Pooja Krishna, founder and CEO of Global Education Expert, Bengaluru, said: “Schools in rural India lack access to necessities like reliable transportation and qualified teachers In India, many people still live in rural areas The shift is reasonable, but

is it sustainable? That’s the question we need to ask.”

Mailesh Bevoor, Block Education Officer, Sandur, said: “Sandur has a high literacy rate in this district People highly value education Mining companies in and around Sandur have set up great private schools Workers of mining companies can access education from these private schools for free The problem is not education but the mode of transport for parents Pre-Covid, everyone had jobs, but then the situation changed People lost jobs and their source of their income They couldn’t even afford education in private schools After the pandemic, road transportation became a problem for many So there was a huge shift Over 50% of students studying in private schools had shifted to government schools.”

The shift was so sudden that schools had no infrastructure to support such a large number of students “This is a problem we still cannot find a solution to ”

According to a report in The Hindu, in the primary section, 31,943 (31%) teachers were working against the total sanctioned strength of 45,985, with 14,042 posts lying vacant The department has appointed 8,514 guest teachers for primary schools

Primary schools in Lingasugur taluk in Raichur district, Shorapur taluk in Yadgir district, and Sandur taluk in Ballari district, have up to 44% vacancies yashaswini s@iijnm org

Dust clouds on Siruguppa roads bother citizens

Potholes on the roads are another concern

By Vindhya Pabolu

Dustrising from the roads of Siruguppa taluk lands on street food, shop windows, and makes commuters uneasy Anusha, a receptionist at the Vyshnavi Grand Hotel, Siruguppa said: “The situation has been like this for the past five years Dust settles on the windows of the hotel We often clean the windows to make our customers comfortable We tried to complain several times, but either the officials weren’t in the office or they say they will look into the problem which never happens.”

Naik S, the owner of a fancy store, said the roads are uneven and potholed, posinga challenge for commuters As they are the only way to nearby taluks, tractors and buses take the route, raising clouds of dust

“We observe a lot of dust rising whenever vehicles travel, making it difficult for commuters to drive We develop allergies if we sit in

the dust This makes it difficult for us to breathe. It is difficult for food stalls and restaurants to do their business,” he said The Observer noticed that a municipal corporation water tanker pours water on the road to settle the dust

Shiva Kumar, an autorickshaw driver, said: “It’s dangerous for us to drive on these roads We need to take care not to make customers uncomfortable ” Some-

times vehicles fallin the middle of the road, leading to accidents. The speed of vehicles has also slowed amid heavy traffic, making it extremely dangerous to travel “But I have to drive my auto on these roads as this is my only source of income ”

Mareesh Kumar, who often travels to nearby taluks for work, said: “It has become common for us to deal with situations like this If not about us, the govern-

ment should think about the children If something goes wrong on these terrible roads especially to schoolbuses, nothing can be undone But who cares about our concerns? The officials only come to visit us at the time of elections and after that nothing changes ”

Municipal officials informed The Observer that they are awaiting the government's reply on the issue facing by the citizens

Prem Charles, head of the Siruguppa City Municipal Corporation, said: “We have received people’s complaints At present, we lack funds attention of the higher administration We are still waiting for a reply ”

Under the Karnataka Road Sector Policy, roads in villages should be maintained and improved to a decent level. Karnataka has allocated Rs 300 crore to maintain and repair roads damaged during the monsoon

According to the state, budget approval has been accorded for the improvement of rural roads at a cost of Rs 100 crore The project will be completed in 2023 An amount of Rs 300 crore has been earmarked for improvement of road damage during the rainy season to be repaired vindhya p@iijnm org

Farmers say equipment costs are high

Continued from page 1

Veeranna

V. Adagatti, Deputy Tahasildar, Gajendragad, said fertiliser prices are high but daily wages are low Farmers spend huge money on sprinklers which cost too much The government provides farmers with sprinklers at an affordable price

“If a farmer buys sprinklers from the government under PM Krishi Sinchayi Yojana, he has to spend only Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000, but from private means he spends Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 to buy for their farms ”

“To apply for the Yojana, a farmer has to deposit a water certificate, farmer certificate and Record of Rights Certificate in the tahasildar’s office,” he said Sugiresh Veershetti, a farmer’s son and a BSc student in Rajur said the family spent Rs 70,000 in four months on tractor diesel, seeds and chemicals. His family takes loan from Canara Bank as zamindar charges more interest Because of too much rain this year which ruined the cotton crop The family applied for PM Crop Insurance Scheme and recieved Rs 2000 after six months of appilication

In December 2022, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh,Karnataka Region, held a press conference at Freedom Parkwhere it raised similar issues and demanded a profitable fixed price in APMCs and the removal of GST on farm equipment yukta m@iijnm org

Until 1992, female athletes competing in the Olympics had to undergo mandatory sex verification testing, due to fears that male athletes would disguise themselves as female to gain an advantage There were no such requirements for male athletes

Produced by the Print students of the Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media at Nityananda Nagar, Kumbalgodu, Kengeri hobli, Bengaluru 560074

editors: Vindhya Pabolu, Yashaswini Sri, Siddhi Chauhan

Schools in Sandur lack access to necessities like reliable transportation and qualified teachers | Credit: Shreya Chekkila

The speed of vehicles has slowed amid heavy traffic, making it dangerous for commuters to travel | Courtesy: Shiva Kumar