BENGALURU: The Forum of Public Intellectuals, Cultural Voices and Civil Society has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to convene a special session of the state legislature to discuss the adverse impact of trade agreements with the European Union and USA on the agriculture sector in the country.
In a letter to the CM, the forum members stated that though agriculture is a state subject, the Union Government is taking decisions without consulting states. Like the Himachal Pradesh and Punjab governments, the Karnataka government should call a special session of the state legislature and pass a resolution against the Union Government’s decision, they stated. According to them, around 68 per cent of farmers’ families in the state are facing the burden of debt, and in such a situation, implementation of trade agreements would further worsen the crisis in the agriculture sector.
They urged the CM to pass a resolution in the assembly, urging the Union Government not to include the agriculture and animal husbandry sectors in the trade agreements. The government should also get a comprehensive study done by experts on the impact of the trade agreements on small farmers and publish the report, they urged.