The Hindu : `Only Centre can ban Bt. cotton seeds'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 16, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

`Only Centre can ban Bt. cotton seeds'

By Our Staff Correspondent

Belgaum Aug. 15. The Agriculture Minister, V.S.Koujalgi, has said that the State Government cannot impose ban on Bt. cotton seeds, and pointed out that any decision in this regard has to be taken by the Union Government.

Under the Central Seed Act, the State Government had no powers impose ban, he added.

Talking to presspersons here on Thursday, Mr. Koujalgi referred to the conflicting opinions of farmers' groups on the use of Bt. cotton seeds at a high-level meeting in Bangalore recently, which was attended by agricultural scientists and seed experts, besides top Government officials.

The minister denied reports that he had announced that a ban would be imposed on Bt. cotton seeds, and said that such a decision should come from the Centre.

He said that the results of field demonstrations conducted by companies manufacturing Bt. cotton seeds were with the Government. Mr. Koujalgi said that the Centre had released Rs. 33.80 crore under the Calamity Relief Fund for relief works in drought-prone areas of the State.

This apart, the Centre had released two lakh tonnes of foodgrains for the Food-for-Work Programme which would be implemented in the drought-affected districts.

To a question on how much the State Government had so far spent on relief measures in the drought-hit districts, he only said that the Government would spend its share. The Belgaum District administration had requested Rs. 16.50 crore for taking up relief works in nine of the 10 taluks which have been declared as drought-affected.

On reports that the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, may appoint a new President for the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, Mr. Koujalgi said the matter was still premature.

Mr. Koujalgi, who is also the district in-charge minister, promised that the case of missing arms and ammunition from the district armoury at the district police headquarters here would be seriously probed.

The Camp police have registered a case against Sheshagiri Rao, a retired Superintendent of Police, on the basis of a confession by Parashuram Fakeerappa Jalgar of Bagalkot. Parashuram had bought a revolver and 10 rounds of ammunition from an accused in the missing arms case. Parashuram was also introduced to Mr. Rao by the accused.

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