Kulgam, December 12: While expressing serious concern over rising unemployment, power scarcity, corruption and unabated killings/arrests in Kashmir, CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami today demanded one-time waiver of KCC loan to the small farmers and fruit growers whose harvest was damaged by the recent heavy snowfall.
Addressing workers convention at Kulgam today he said the announced scale of relief under “state-specific special natural calamity” for damaged orchards due to snowfall is quite inadequate given the quantum of destruction. Besides, the huge damage to the present crop, the snowfall caused massive damage to fruit trees. Millions of trees have been damaged due to the snowfall and the mainstay of the Kashmir economy – horticulture – is in shambles. Even the announced meagre relief has not been disbursed among the victims though almost one and half months have passed.
“The need is to announce one-time exemption of KCC loan to the small farmers and fruit growers whose harvest was damaged by the snowfall, besides the implementation of Crop Insurance Scheme (CIS) in the state. Though the announcement of the crop insurance scheme was made by the government, it is unfortunate that the said scheme has not been implemented in Kashmir so far. It becomes an obligation for the government to come to the support of the farmers and orchardists as they form the backbone of the state’s economy and have always been suffering on account weather vagaries,” he said.
The issue of unemployment, he said, has reached to an alarming proportion as successive governments have failed to suggest a framework to tackle this issue. No policy framework has been suggested to address this huge and vulnerable problem. In absence of other viable avenues, government sector is the only area which provides some opportunity of employment generation. But, the inability of the government in creating such opportunities the future seems to be bleak for our younger generation.
“Similarly, thousands of cases regarding payment of monthly financial assistance under various social welfare schemes were pending in every district. The weaker and poorer sections of the society have been totally neglected by the government which has severely hit their means of livelihood,” said Tarigami.
He said though the government of the day claims there is improvement in governance, reality is that the power situation is same as it was during the previous years. There is no improvement. Isn’t it any priority for the government to provide uninterrupted power supply to people in this harsh winter? Tarigami questioned.
The convention was presided over by veteran Kisaan leader Adul Hamid Wani.
