Udupi : Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake said farmers are the backbone of the country and the governments have the responsibility of initiating confidence building measures among them.

Speaking after inaugurating the Raitha Samparka (farmers’ contact) programme in Perdur, the minister said the district has taken lead in doing so though the number of farmers, who have taken the extreme step, is less. The concern over the debt-ridden farmers is the priority of the government and in the process, the government is introducing farmer-friendly measures to prevent farmers from committing suicide, he added.

Asserting that cooperative sector plays a major role in agriculture sector, the minister added that cooperative sector has undergone tremendous changes in the post-independence era.

The cooperative sector should join hands with the government to stabilise the livelihood of the farmers, he observed.

He stressed that measures should be taken at the grassroots level to infuse confidence among farmers.

The farmers are in need of support that would help them to come out from their distressed life, he felt.

Sorake said that State government offers loan to the farmers up to Rs 3 lakh without interest and the loan above Rs 3 lakh would be charged minimal interest rate.

Under Ksheeradhare Yojana, as many Rs 42.75 lakh has been disbursed as incentive in the district and the amount is directly credited to the accounts of the beneficiaries, he noted.

Various departments in the district would work in coordination with each other to create awareness among farmers over various schemes catering to the needs of the farmers, he added.

The Agriculture, Forest and Revenue Departments had set up stalls to provide information on their development programmes to the farmers on the occasion.

Cheques were given away to the beneficiaries of various government schemes.
The minister also inaugurated the underground drainage system built at a cost of Rs 48 crore at Kollur.