Members of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) staged a demonstration outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Kalaburagi recently demanding the immediate release of pending crop insurance compensation to farmers in the district.

Leading the protest, KPRS district president Sharanabasappa Mamshetty said that nearly 2.8 lakh farmers in Kalaburagi district are yet to receive crop insurance claims amounting to around ₹300 crore.

He said that farmers have suffered extensive crop losses due to excessive rainfall during the previous agricultural season and have been further hit by a sharp fall in red gram prices owing to the absence of an effective support price mechanism.

Mr. Mamshetty said that farmers are facing severe financial hardship as preparations for the kharif season gathers pace.

Many farmers, he said, are being forced to borrow money and stand in long queues at APMC Yards, TAPCMS and VSSN offices to procure seeds and fertilisers.

“The immediate release of the pending crop insurance compensation will provide the much-needed financial support to farmers and help them take up sowing activities without further delay,” he said.

Decision opposed

The organisation also voiced strong opposition to the proposed privatisation of the power distribution sector and demanded that the State government safeguard public ownership of electricity utilities.

In a memorandum, the KPRS urged the State government to halt power sector privatisation, withdraw electricity tariff hikes and protect reservation benefits in recruitments to power utilities.

It expressed concern over proposals to grant power distribution licence to private companies, including Tata Power, saying that such moves will adversely affect employment opportunities for local youth and increase the burden on rural consumers.

The farmers body called upon Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission to reject applications from private power distributors, ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to rural areas and protect the interests of farmers dependent on irrigation pumpsets.

Mr. Mamshetty, along with farmers leaders Dilip Nagure and Devu Biradar, submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister through the Deputy Commissioner, the Joint Director of Agriculture and the Managing Director of GESCOM, Kalaburagi.