Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) has urged the government to sanction and release ₹5 lakh for brides marrying boys engaged in agriculture, in a bid to encourage such matrimonial alliances.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, December 5, the KRRS president Badagalpura Nagendra said that there was a steep decline among girls marrying youth who are farmers and this was an emerging social issue towards which the government is yet to pay any attention.
If the trend continues unabated, there will be a situation wherein there will be no farmer families to take forward agricultural practices and this in turn will result in food insecurity, said Mr. Nagendra.
Farmers were already reeling under financial distress due to crop loss from flood, drought, and pestilence and now there is the social issue of girls refusing to marry boys who are into farming, he added. This is because people are increasingly realising that life is difficult for farmers and their status is low and hence, parents are refusing to marry their daughters to boys engaged in agriculture, said Mr. Nagendra.
The government came under flak for its ‘’apathy’’ to the social issue and the KRRS demanded ₹5 lakh for each bride who marries a boy from the farming community engaged in agriculture.
The KRRS will soon convene a mega convention to highlight this social issue to draw the attention of the government to the seriousness of the matter, said Mr. Nagendra.
Apart from seeking ₹5 lakh for the bride, the KRRS also sought reservation in government jobs for children of farmers. It also called upon the government to float a new microfinance scheme exclusively for farmers along the lines of the MUDRA scheme to enable the youth to take up agribusiness and supplement their farm income.
Mr. Nagendra said the government should also encourage mass marriages so as to curb wasteful expenditure. Pointing out that many women were in agriculture, Mr. Nagendra said that the government should identify such women farmers and felicitate them besides sanctioning an honorarium to recognise their work and encourage agriculture.
He said the date for the convention to highlight the difficulties in finding brides for farmers would be announced in due course and those interested in registering should call 9980183669; 9742113881 or 9538554202.
