Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Mar 4: A delegation of MPs from areca nut growing areas of Karnataka, Kerala, and other states, met Prime Minister, Dr Manmhan Singh, on Thursday March 3, and held discussions with him about issues like possibility of extending concession regarding the implementation of plastic gutkha sachets ban, creating a favourable market environment for areca nut, and central assistance to solve problems faced by the areca nut growers.

Dakshina Kannada MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel, said the Prime Minister told the delegation that the central government will take administrative measures to ensure that the areca nut growers are not left in the lurch. The PM also told the delegation that he would shortly hold discussions with agriculture, commerce, environment, and law ministers, towards arriving at a consensus about measures  to be taken to help the areca nut cultivators.

The delegation succeeded in making the PM understand that the closure of gutkha industry, which might be triggered by the plastic sachets ban imposed by the Supreme Court, can prove to be a death knell for the areca nut cultivation, a sector that is already in doldrums on account of various problems. It asked the union government to provide funds to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore under market intervention scheme for stabilizing the areca nut prices,  and to take steps towards manufacturing environment-friendly sachets for gutkha and other products.

It may be recalled that MP, D V Sadanand Gowda, had raised this topic in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday during the zero hour. He had drawn the attention of the government to the fact that plastic is presently used to wrap milk, food items, drinking water etc, whereas, the ban has been applied to only the gukha sachets, stressing that this step is not justifiable.

The delegation comprised of MPs, Anant Kumar Hegde, D V Sadanand Gowda, Nalin Kumar Kateel, G M Siddesh, P C Chacko, and MPs from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Assam, West Bengal, as well as Andaman.