Odisha Opposition members question House panel report on Bargarh farmer’s suicide

It has been more than a year of the Speaker of the Assembly directing the department related standing committee on Agriculture to probe into the death of Bagarti. ​
Odisha Opposition members question House panel report on Bargarh farmer’s suicide

BHUBANESWAR: The suicide of Hadu Bagarti, the Bargarh farmer who took the extreme step in February last year over crop loss, returned to haunt the State Government on Monday with the Opposition Congress questioning the status of the inquiry into the case by an Assembly committee.

“Where is the House Committee report on Hadu Bagarti?,” Leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra sought to know from State Government.

It has been more than a year of the Speaker of the Assembly directing the department related standing committee on Agriculture to probe into the death of Bagarti. Though the committee was supposed to submit the report in the next session of the Assembly last year, it has failed to do that, Mishra said.
The delay in submission of the report proved that the State Government, which has been refusing to admit farmers suicide in the State, is trying to bury the matter, Mishra said and dared the ruling party to table the report to prove the Opposition wrong.

As Bagarti’s suicide rocked the budget session of the Assembly in 2017, the Speaker had ordered the Standing Committee-II of Agriculture Department to probe the matter and submit a report in the next session.

The Speakers’ ruling came after a logjam of the House for six days with the Opposition Congress and BJP demanding House Committee probe into Bagarti’s death. Though Bagarti allegedly committed suicide by consuming pesticides on February 26, 2017, Agriculture Minister Pradip Maharathy had told the House that the Bargarh farmer ended his life over family dispute.

The issue cropped up during discussion on demand for grants of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department.

Coming down heavily on the Government for its failure to keep the promise to create irrigation potential for at least 35 per cent of the agricultural land in each block, Mishra said the Government is trying to mislead the people by providing figures manufactured by officers.

While the Minister avoided most of the questions raised by Opposition members, he, however, claimed that the State has made significant improvement in production and productivity of food grains for which it has been receiving Krishi Karman Award from the Centre consecutively for the last four years.
Maharathy, however, admitted that the Potato Mission failed to achieve desired result due to adverse market conditions.

Excise duty up 28 times in 19 years

Bhubaneswar: Excise revenue has increased 28 times in Odisha during the last 19 years. Excise Minister Sashi Bhusan Behera informed this in the Assembly in a written reply to a question from Dillip Ray (BJP).
The Minister said excise revenue which was Rs 135.35 crore in 2000-01, reached Rs 2786.23 crore in 2016-17. While a target was fixed to collect excise revenue of Rs 3,600 crore in 2017-18, the collection was Rs 3,221 crore, he said and added that a target of Rs 3,800 crore has been set for 2018-19.
The Minister said there were 4303 licenced liquor shops in the State in 2017-18 of which 1157 were off shops and 531 were on shops, he said.

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