Farmers insist to be honoured by CM, wait for hours!

The programme to confer the Krishi Pandit and Best Farmer award to the winning farmers, by the Chief Minister, organised at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha, dragged as the awardees insisted that they would receive the awards from none other than the CM and he was held up at the Assembly. The awards were finally given away after the CM arrived, a couple of hours late.

The annual Krishi Pandit and Best Farmer awards were not given away for past three years for various reasons. This year a programme was organised on Wednesday at the Vidhana Soudha Banquet hall, with the CM as the Chief Guest. However, the CM was held up in the Assembly answering queries put up by Opposition leaders. Agriculture Minister Krishna Byregowda offered to confer the awards but the awardees said they had come from a long distance to have the privilege of being honored by the CM and prefered to wait for him, reports Kannada Prabha.

The minister tried to convince them that the CM would come and join them after the Session, but the awardees were adamant. They waited at the Hall and the Chief Minister arrived at the lunch break the program was held. The farmers were extremely happy to meet the CM and took selfies with him.

Speaking on the occasion, Siddaramaiah said the farm loan from cooperative banks has been waived off. The loans taken from nationalised banks have to be waived off by the Central government. “Now, go catch the noses of BJP State President BS Yeddyurappa, former CM Jagadish Shettar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and RBI Governor”, he said.

He declared that he waived the farm loan because the Union Government announced that “the Centre will not waive one paise of farm loan.”  Now, it is up to the BJP to get the Centre to waive off the loan from the Centre. The 2014 and 2015 Best farmer and Krishi Pandit awards were given away to 111 farmers.

• best farmer awards