Latest news with #Asif(Raju)Sait
The Hindu
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Congress rally against price rise starts by paying respects to Pahalgam victims
Senior Congress leaders inaugurated a rally to protest against the NDA-led Union Government, in Belagavi on April 28, by paying respects to the tourists from Karnataka who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir. All leaders and delegates observed a minute's silence before the rally began. They mocked the price rise by garlanding domestic LPG cylinders. A few women beneficiaries of the guarantee schemes shared their experience and thanked the government of Karnataka. Most leaders said that the prices of all essential commodities had increased in an unprecedented manner due to the 'wrong economic policies' of the NDA government at the Centre. Asif (Raju) Sait, MLA and district unit president, welcomed the leaders. He said that the Congress had strongly opposed the terror attack in Kashmir. 'The Congress will support the Union Government in all the tough measures it plans and takes against terrorists,' he said. He said that the Bharat Jodo padayatra by Rahul Gandhi was a historic event to spread the message of love. 'The ideology of the Congress is the ideology of the Constitution. All of us should accept and follow it. That is the only solution to our problems,' he said. Laxmanrao Chingale, Chikkodi district unit president, accused the BJP of trying to make the life of the poor worse so that they do not have any time to reflect on the governance of the Union Government. Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar said that the government of Karnataka is spending around ₹80,000 crore per year on various guarantees and direct benefit transfer schemes, which was unprecedented. 'We are the only government who have fulfilled our promises in less than 100 days. The State BJP has organised the Jana Akrosha rally only to distract people from the failures of the Union Government and the infighting in the State BJP,' she said. 'Karnataka BJP has not succeeded in its rallies. It has stopped them half-way. That is because the Union Government is behind the price rise, and not the government of Karnataka. The day they announced Jana Akrosha rally, the Union Government increased the price of domestic LPG cylinder by ₹50. It was a slap on their face,' she said. 'I urge you to compare the price of food items, cooking oil, petrol and diesel, gas cylinder, fertiliser, cement and other commodities. All this is because BJP leaders are supporting their corporate friends who are interested only in profit. After the Kashmir terror attacks, the Union Government should have arranged free transport for families of the victims. But there were no flights available immediately. The ticket prices were so high. The Centre should be ashamed of not providing transport to the victims. It was the Karnataka government that helped them return home safely,' she said. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D. K. Shivakumar, Ministers Satish Jarkiholi, H. K. Patil, K. H. Muniyappa, M. B. Patil, H. C. Mahadevappa, R. B. Thimmapur, MLAs Laxman Savadi, Baba Patil, Raju Kage, former MLAs Firoz Sait and Anjali Nimbalkar, AICC leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, Nasir Hussein, and Gopinath P. were among those who addressed the gathering.
Time of India
26-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Belagavi mango mela showcases local harvest and farmer initiatives
1 2 Belagavi: With a bumper mango yield in the Belagavi district, the horticulture department will host a three-day mango mela starting Saturday. MLA Asif (Raju) Sait inaugurated the mango mela and honey farming products sales exhibition organised at Hume Park on Saturday. Growers from different parts of Belagavi and Maharashtra are participating in the fair. Twenty-two stalls were opened at the mango mela. Sixteen stalls were allocated to mangoes grown in various parts of Belagavi district, while two stalls were given to mango growers from outer districts, and four stalls were reserved for mango traders from Maharashtra. Mangoes from 3,300 hectares across the district, with an average yield of 8–10 tonnes per hectare, were displayed alongside varieties from the neighbouring Maharashtra. According to officials of the horticulture department, while there was a decline in mango crop yields across the state, Belagavi district maintained the status quo and had surplus yields. This is because the mango crop growing area is increasing every year and farmers took precautionary measures to protect their crops. Vitthal, a farmer from Khanapur, said that usually the mango crop is grown in Kittur, Khanapur, Bailhongal, and Hukkeri. The area under mango cultivation further increased this year. The average yield is 8 to 10 tonns per hectare. Mangoes are also arriving to the Belagavi market from Ratnagiri, Konkan, and Pandharpur regions of Maharashtra. Many farmers of Belagavi district supply mangoes to the markets of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa. If a mango fair is organised in Goa, Belagavi mangoes get priority, which is an advantage to the mango growers of Belagavi district. Parashuram, a farmer from Hukkeri, said that a dozen Alphonso mangoes cost somewhere between Rs 450 to Rs 500, Pyri Rs 450 to Rs 550, Rasapuri Rs 350 to Rs 450, and Kesar Rs 650 to Rs 750. As more fruits are arriving to the market, prices are decreasing. Despite the increase in the prices of some fruits, consumers are buying them after bargaining. Almost all varieties of mangoes are expected to hit the market after Basava Jayanti. Mahantesh Murgod, deputy director of the horticulture department, said that the mango yield in Belagavi district is the best this time when compared to other districts. Almost 90% of the crop is of Alphonso variety. These fruits, harvested scientifically and ripened naturally, will be sold at the fair, along with an exhibition of new mango varieties. The objective of the department is to encourage farmers to embrace entrepreneurship, get the best price for their crops, and take a step towards progress. Since last year, farmers were given the opportunity to sell their mango crop under the Belagavi Maavu brand.
