Bengaluru: In just three hours, the Karnataka Assembly passed nine Bills including crucial ones like Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill on Friday.
The ruling BJP, did not encounter much of a resistance, as it was assured by the Opposition parties that they would not create hurdle in passage of Bills except for the controversial ones, which are being opposed by the farmers across the country.
The Revenue Minister, R. Ashoka tabled the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which is dubbed as death knell to farmers in the state by both Civil Activists as well the opposition parties.
While tabling the Bill, Ashoka said, “This Bill is not a demon. In reality, this will usher in new era in farming sector in the state. Unnecessarily opponents are trying to assert that this amendment was to help industrialists. It is not the truth at all.”
According to him, industries across the state are sitting on less than one per cent of the total land available in the state. “Such being the case, how can all land be taken away by the industries in future?” he questioned.
He further added that the very main objective of this Bill is to get rid of the clause 79 A and 79 B, which have become more impediments to the state’s agriculture sector’s growth than a boon.
“If a person wants to be a farmer in our state, it is far easier for person belonging to other state. Whereas, our own people can’t become farmers if they wish to,” he said.
Quoting later vice-president, B. D. Jatti headed committee report, Ashoka said that of the 195 lakh hectare land, 30 lakh hectares is forest land, 22 lakh hectares is agriculture land and 11.79 lakh hectare fallow land is there with us. “This amendment will help to cultivate, fallow land and not to help industrialists,” he argued.
