Farm budget will not help farmers, says Manpade

March 3, 2011

Mangalore, March 3: Agriculture policies of the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre and the Bharatiya Janata Party Government in the State are worsening the plight of farmers, Maruti Manpade, State committee member of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha, said on Wednesday.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Manpade said that the Centre had reduced its allocation for agriculture by Rs. 172 crore from the previous year to Rs. 17,522 crore. It had not implemented the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan panel on the agrarian crisis, submitted three years ago, he said.

The report aimed at taking knowledge from the universities to farmers. But that had not happened, he added.

The State Government's agriculture budget was nothing but a rehash of old policies with nothing to mitigate the crisis faced by farmers. “When the Government's policies are not favourable to agriculture, no law can help farmers,” he said.

He said that on the pretext of an agricultural budget, the State Government had set out to make it possible for any person to hold land without any restriction. By amending Section 79 (a) and (b) and Section 109 (1), (2) and (3) of the Land Reforms Act 1961, and clause 64 of the Revenue Act, the Government would “facilitate handing over of 2 lakh acres of agricultural land to multinational companies and large Indian companies”.

Mr. Manpade said that the sangha would formulate an alternative policy for agriculture that would include among other things, recommendations of the Swaminathan panel.

The focus of the policy would be on land reforms, protection from moneylenders, measures to increase yield, and a seed policy that favoured farmers.

He said that every gram panchayat should have at least one soil testing unit to help farmers.

Mr. Manpade said that the sangha was pressuring the Government to give land losers shareholding rights in the companies.

Addressing the students displaced by the Mangalore Special Economic Zone on Wednesday, Mr. Manpade urged them to be united and fight for their rights.

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No more agency jobs? Karnataka panel pushes for end to job outsourcing by 2028

News Network

November 21,2025

Bengaluru, Nov 21: The Karnataka government is facing pressure to overhaul its employment system after a high-level Cabinet sub-committee recommended the complete phase-out of job outsourcing in government offices, boards, and corporations by March 2028. The move is aimed at tackling a systemic issue that has led to the potential violation of constitutional reservation policies and the exploitation of workers.

The Call for Systemic Change

With over three lakh vacant posts currently being filled through private agencies on an outsource, insource, or daily wage basis, the sub-committee highlighted a significant lapse. "As a result, reservations are not being followed as per the Constitution and state laws. It’s an urgent need to take serious steps to change the system. It has been recommended to completely stop the system of outsourcing by March 2028," the panel stated in a document.

The practice of outsourcing involves private companies hiring workers to perform duties for a government agency. Critics argue this model results in lesser salaries, a lack of social security benefits (otherwise available to permanent government employees), and a failure to adhere to the provisions of Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before the law and prohibit discrimination.

The 'Bidar Model' as a Stop-Gap Solution

To regulate the current mode of employment and reduce worker exploitation until the 2028 deadline, the government plans to establish workers’ services multi-purpose cooperative societies across all districts, following the successful "Bidar Model."

The Bidar District Services of Labour Multi-purpose Cooperative Society Ltd., which operates under the District Commissioner, is cited as a successful example of providing a measure of social security to outsourced staff. Labour Department officials argue this society ensures workers receive their due wages and statutory facilities like ESI (Employees' State Insurance) and PF (Provident Fund), in exchange for a 1% service fee collected from the employees.

legislative push and Priority Insourcing

The recommendations, led by the sub-committee headed by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil, are set to be discussed at the next Cabinet meeting. The committee has proposed the introduction of the Karnataka Outsourced Employees (Regulation, Placement and Welfare) Bill 2025.

In a move addressing immediate concerns, Labour Minister Santosh Lad, a member of the sub-committee, has reportedly assured that steps will be taken over the next 2-3 years to insource workers in "life-threatening services" on a priority basis. This includes essential personnel like pourakarmikas (sanitation workers), drivers, electrical staff in the Energy Department, and Health Department staff handling contagious diseases. The transition aims to grant these workers the long-term security and benefits they currently lack under the outsourcing system.

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