96.
Exit The Cows
Enter The Monsanto
Karnataka is a southern state in India with a population of 61 million. Recently it saw a government change as the ruling party was voted out. The new government, in the first few hours of assuming office made its sinister intentions clear.
The Chief Minister’s First Move: Lifting Ban On Cow Slaughter In Karnataka
By Niticentral Staff on May 14, 2013
Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah has lifted the ban on cow slaughter in the State.
The erstwhile BJP regime in the State had implemented a ban on cow slaughter by introducing Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Preservation Bill, 2012.
The Bill prohibits slaughter of cattle, sale, usage and possession of beef, puts restriction on transport of cattle and also prohibits sale, purchase or disposal of cattle for slaughter.
The offence was punishable with imprisonment of not less than one year which may extend up to seven years or a fine of Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000, or both. A second and subsequent offence attracted a fine of not less than Rs 50,000 and up to Rs 1 lakh along with imprisonment.
The Bill provided for stringent punishment upon violation of the Act, and also allowed for powers of search and seizure of any premises including vessels or vehicles.
This was his first file to be signed within hours of taking oath as chief minister. Some members of minority hailed this historic move and praised him for being minority friendly.
The erstwhile BJP regime in the State had implemented a ban on cow slaughter by introducing Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Preservation Bill, 2012.
The Bill prohibits slaughter of cattle, sale, usage and possession of beef, puts restriction on transport of cattle and also prohibits sale, purchase or disposal of cattle for slaughter.
The offence was punishable with imprisonment of not less than one year which may extend up to seven years or a fine of Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000, or both. A second and subsequent offence attracted a fine of not less than Rs 50,000 and up to Rs 1 lakh along with imprisonment.
The Bill provided for stringent punishment upon violation of the Act, and also allowed for powers of search and seizure of any premises including vessels or vehicles.
This was his first file to be signed within hours of taking oath as chief minister. Some members of minority hailed this historic move and praised him for being minority friendly.
Karnataka Government Has Open Mind On GM Crops
PTI, May 21, 2013
Karnataka government has an open mind on the issue of genetically modified crops, and favours giving options for farmers to make informed choices, Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has said.
We know when India was more primitive, there were thousands of cows owned by the agriculturists and they used to enjoy life by the agricultural products and sufficient quantity of clarified butter, milk and curd. Even some hundreds of years before during the reign of Nawab Swaesta Khan, rice was selling in India at the rate of nine mounds (40kg) a rupee and today ever since the beginning of scientific knowledge in India, rice is selling now at the rate of nine chatak (9x60gms) a rupee. In the former days, the Indian kings and rich men used to perform yajnas by burning tons and tons of pure clarified butter made out of cow’s milk and at the present moment there is not a drop of pure clarified butter made out of cow’s milk even for daily use. That is the law of material nature. Leaving aside the stories of Nawab Sawesta Khan’s history we can say from our personal experience that my father, say 40 years before at most, used to stock at our house (in Calcutta) always a cart load of rice, 15 mounds (15x40kg), ten seers (10x1kg) of pure ghee, a bag of potato and a cart load of soft coke always ready for use. Our family was not a rich family and my father’s income was within Rs. 250/- per month. And it was within his easy reach to stock household provisions in the above manner. But at the present moment at no house in the cities and towns generally there is stock of more than 15 seers (1kg) of rice. Formerly they used to enquire rates of commodities in the terms of mounds (40kg) and now they ask for it in terms of seers (1kg) or chattacks (60gms) although we are able to keep more glittering cars than cows at the present moment.
— Srila Prabhupada (Back To Godhead magazine, Nov. 1956)
He said Bt cotton, first introduced in the State some one-and-half decades ago, has definitely benefitted farmers to improve yields in an eco-friendly manner. "That's why farmers have adopted it". As much as 90 per cent of farmers in Karnataka are using Bt cotton seeds. (He made no mention of thousands of farmers committing suicide in the state every year after Bt cotton’s introduction.)
Agricultural universities based in Dharwad and Raichur are currently working on improving the Bt cotton seeds.
"We must keep our minds open", Byre Gowda said when asked to spell out the new Congress government's stand on GM crops.
On organic farming, which was aggressively promoted by the previous BJP government, the Minister, in reply to a query, said funds for such initiatives were perhaps misused but added that subject comes under the Horticulture Department, which needs to inquire into it.
The Minister said the government has geared up to supply seeds and fertilisers to farmers. Agriculture department has estimated that for the 2013 Kharif season, 10.68 lakh quintals of seeds would be needed, which had been stocked.
As against the requirement of 24 lakh tonnes of fertilisers, the government has a stock of nine lakh tonnes, which would continuously get replenished, he said.
The Minister advised farmers not to over-use urea just because it was cheap, saying such an approach would bring down soil fertility.
A special squad has been formed to crack down on elements who seek to create "artificial shortage" by hoarding, he said.
Agricultural universities based in Dharwad and Raichur are currently working on improving the Bt cotton seeds.
"We must keep our minds open", Byre Gowda said when asked to spell out the new Congress government's stand on GM crops.
On organic farming, which was aggressively promoted by the previous BJP government, the Minister, in reply to a query, said funds for such initiatives were perhaps misused but added that subject comes under the Horticulture Department, which needs to inquire into it.
The Minister said the government has geared up to supply seeds and fertilisers to farmers. Agriculture department has estimated that for the 2013 Kharif season, 10.68 lakh quintals of seeds would be needed, which had been stocked.
As against the requirement of 24 lakh tonnes of fertilisers, the government has a stock of nine lakh tonnes, which would continuously get replenished, he said.
The Minister advised farmers not to over-use urea just because it was cheap, saying such an approach would bring down soil fertility.
A special squad has been formed to crack down on elements who seek to create "artificial shortage" by hoarding, he said.
The economic development requires cow protections, but these rascals do not know. Their economic development’ is cow killing. Just see, rascal civilization. Don’t be sorry. It is sastra.
Therefore kurute vikarma. Simply for little satisfaction of the tongue, the same benefit you can derive from the milk, but because they are rascals, madmen, they think that eating or drinking the blood of the cow is better than drinking milk.
— Srila Prabhupada (Lecture, Srimad Bhagavatam, September 9, 1973)
