Yogesh K Porwar
“It is the Farmers Who Have Made This Country Self-Reliant and Proud”.
Former Chief Minister and current Member of Parliament Basavaraj Bommai opined that without the development of villages,national progress is impossible.
If agriculture flourishes,food security is ensured,a nation with food security becomes a self-reliant and proud nation.
He was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the construction of the Shree Grama Devi Community Hall in Nagavi village of Gadag taluk.
The hall is being built at an estimated cost of Rs.10 lakh from the MP’s local area development fund here on Friday.
Bommai said the social fabric of Indian villages can be understood by observing the local communities.
Constructing a community hall dedicated to the village deity is symbolic,but the fact that it is being done collectively reflects their rural culture and values.
Praising former minister S.S.Patil,the MP noted that despite his stature as a legislator and minister, he has always reflected the ethos of rural life through his words and attire. Similarly, he said,MLA C.C.Patil also embodies rural sensibilities and carries the dialect and spirit of North Karnataka.
The former CM said development should not be something people must chase.Instead,development must reach the people—wherever they live.
It should not be limited to areas around the DC office. India is a nation made up of villages.Mahatma Gandhi spoke about Gram Swarajya and Ramarajya.
But somewhere along the way,they seem to have forgotten those ideals.Without rural development, national development is not possible.
The former CM said although agriculture has developed, farmers themselves have not.Every citizen today enjoys food security, but the situation of the one who produces that food—the farmer—is pitiful.
A health emergency or a marriage in a farmer’s house pushes him into debt. He had told bankers that agriculture requires the highest investment,and when farmers earn more,they spend more, which in turn increases government revenue.
“The cost of every essential item in rural areas has increased.Seeds and fertilizers are costlier,and the expense of diesel and petrol used by farmers in Karnataka has gone up.From vehicle fuel to cooking oil, prices have surged.
As a result,rural people are being trapped in debt.This needs to change.Only then will the nation have a future. Such transformation is possible only when honest individuals are given power,”he asserted.
Bommai lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the only Prime Minister to transfer financial aid directly to farmers’ bank accounts after independence.
“In Karnataka,64 lakh farmers have benefited from this. Subsidies are being given for fertilizers and seeds.PM Awas Yojana,Gramin Sadak Yojana,and now solar power installations are being provided at the household level to reduce electricity bills.
The government even pays for the electricity you generate. Over the last 11 years,development has touched every sector.
Earlier,LPG cylinders were limited to urban areas—now, they are reaching villages,making life easier for women. Everyone must learn about these schemes and make use of them,”
Former ministers S.S.Patil,C.C.Patil,BJP district president Raju Kuradagi,Gramin Mandal president Budappa Halli,local leaders B.S.Chinchali,Shantanna Kalakeri,Krishna Rathod,and Allasab Peerkannavar were present at the event.
The program began with a visit to the village deity temple,where the leaders offered prayers and sought blessings.
