AIAWU State conference in Kundapur, December 19 to 21

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Dec 17, 2016:Addressing media K. Shankar, president of the conference reception committee, said that the conference of the State unit of the AIAWU All India Agricultural Workers’ Union will be held at Kundapur in Udupi district from December 19 to 21. 

Conference will have three main objectives : It will press for proper implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) scheme, distribution of sites and houses to agricultural workers and chalk out a strategy to check the spread of communalism.

Nearly 300 delegates from across the State will participate in the conference. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala, will inaugurate the conference on the first day by addressing an open session at Nehru Maidan in Kundapur at 3 p.m.

K. Vijayraghavan, general secretary, AIAWU, S. Thirunavakarasu, president, will also participate as chief guests. Over 5,000 persons are expected to participate in the public meeting.

The applications of agricultural workers seeking sites were pending before the government for the last eight years. Nearly 30 per cent of farm workers had no sites.

It was only now that the government has started taking some steps because the Assembly elections are approaching by conducting surveys to identify lands.

Though AIAWU had demanded that a farm worker each should be given 12 cents of land, the government was giving only 2.75 cents of land. The revenue laws should be amended so that farm workers, who had built their houses on “gomala” lands, got title deeds. The MNREGA scheme was a pillar of strength for the farm workers, he said.

The implementation of MNREGA scheme in the State left a lot to be desired. This scheme helped in not just getting employment for farmers but also promoted rural development. The demonetisation exercise undertaken by the Union government has affected the farm workers in the State. They were not getting jobs because of lack of cash, Mr. Shankar said.

Balakrishna Shetty, Dasu Bhandary, and S. Kaviraj, members of reception committee, were present.