The Commission is negotiating with institutional credit agencies for debt relief to peasants. It is also arbitrating on a case-by-case basis on the debt owed to private moneylenders. The government will, in the case of poor farmers, take over such debts as recommended by the Commission. We hope the Centre and other state governments see such initiatives and help farmers facing similar problems in other parts of the country.

We also ensured that farmers get a minimum support price for their products. As part of the Food Security Mission, we will ensure that paddy cultivation is extended to at least 10,000 acres next year. In this background, I think it is worth mentioning that the government has wiped out the tendency of suicide among farmers in the state. Earlier, three districts from the state were included in the list of 36 districts in the country that were hit by farmer suicides. Now the Centre has removed these three districts from its list.

The law and order situation has also improved with the strengthening of community policing. The low crime rate makes Kerala an ideal place for investment. There were allegations that the state is not a good place for investment. This is part of a propaganda unleashed by a section of the media and some reactionary forces. Successive governments in Kerala, both the LDF and the UDF, had to bear the brunt of this malicious campaign. This has affected industrialisation in the state.

Facts, however, are different. Kerala lost the least number of working days due to labour issues, say statistics from Delhi. Yes, the labourers in Kerala are aware of their duties and responsibilities. No industry can survive in Kerala by exploiting the workforce. This is not just because workers have organisations but because their political awareness gives them the power to bargain. The same awareness makes them a good, sensible and cultured workforce, an exceptional team in the country. Enthusiastic entrepreneurs are always welcome to invest here.

... contd.