Dear All,
With respect to "crude statistics", I do tend to take alarmist global indices published by global think tanks on a whole range and variety of global issues, with a "pinch of salt".
The question still remains :
1. How do we respond to such "crude statistics"
2. What do we actually manage to do about these issues with the resources at our disposal.
There is no doubt that a country with 1.2 billion people has its politicial leaders pining and whining for the embrace and pats on the back, of the outgoing White House resident, backed by well funded Washington based policy think tanks, rather than evolving long term food security policies and development paradigms.
In the backdrop of the US Farm Bill 2007, continued and insistent EU and US farm subsidies, the arm twisting of developing economies by the diplomats and negotiators of the same countries and economic blocs, in global trade forums, so called respected think tanks which routinely spew out alarmist statistics have a habit of hijacking agendas for reasons best known to them.
In this, they do seek the support and mental attention of diaspora communities as well as of the Oxbridge / IMF / World Bank / Brussels trained economists who keep kicking the stirrups of Indian economy.
This routinely brings to my mind the statement of Leo Tolstoy - " I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means - except by getting off his back. "
At the same time, serious and more appropriate analysts like Devinder Sharma and P Sainath are continually sidelined and merely tolerated, in the cacaphony raised by these strategic policy think tanks with vested agendas.
Warm Regards,
Nagarjuna
----------------------
The Indian elite keep ranting about the economy's growth rate while the corporate papers (Hindustan Times, Times of India, Indian Express etc) get all excited about the bullish stock market that has crossed the 19,000-point mark.
But what about half the population grinding under poverty and malnutrition?
The Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute released its report "The World's Most Deprived: Characteristics and Causes of Extreme Poverty and Hunger" on 6th Nov 07. The Institute devised the global hunger index (GHI) as a measure of poverty & hunger in a country.
This report is the first of its kind to use household survey data to look at those living below the one-dollar-a- day line. The index is designed to capture three dimensions of hunger: lack of economic access to food, shortfalls in the nutritional status of children, and child mortality, which is largely attributable to malnutrition.
1) India ranks way down at 96 among 119 developing countries included in the report. Even Nepal is four notches higher at 92, Pakistan 88, Myanmar 68, Sri Lanka 69, China 47.
In contrast, Mauritius is among the top 20 of least hungry countries.
The report commented "The lack of improvement in India's GHI score between 1997 and 2003 despite continued growth is a cause for concern, since India's GHI still indicates alarming levels of hunger".
Across all developing regions of the world, the poorest households are most often located in remote rural areas with limited access to education, roads, and health services and members of these households often face exclusion due to their ethnicity, gender or disability.
Nagarjuna has interest in Food Policy issues and may like to comment further.
2) While child malnutrition has reduced, a separate study (see www.Indiatogether. org) finds that 1 in 2 Indian rural children under 3 is hungry.
3) And nearly 150,000 Indian farmers committed suicide in the period 1997- 2005, official data show. While farm suicides have occurred in many States, nearly two thirds of these deaths are concentrated in five States where just a third of the country's population lives. (See P Sainath, ZNet www.zmag.org, 12 Nov 07).
Two more recent statistics:
4) INDIA also leads the world in the number of women dying in childbirth - 117,000 in 2005.
This means a maternal mortality ratio of 450 deaths per 100,000 live births. The Pakistan figure is 320, Sri Lanka 58 and China 45 (one tenth of India's) [R Hensman, 19 Nov 07 www.countercurrents .org
5) Times of India, 20 Nov 07 reported that India has the largest number of illiterates in the world.
It ranks 126th out of 177 countries in the Human Development Index (UNDP 2006)
Eddie
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Hindu Copyrighted News Item about Widows Meeting
In case you want to read a news item regarding the Vidarbha farmer widows meeting with Indian President, you can do so directly at the website of The Hindu which publishes copyrighted news items.
http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/16/stories/2007061601861300.htm
http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/16/stories/2007061601861300.htm
Widows Share Grief with Departing Indian President
Farmers' widows pour out grief to Prez
Courtesy - Aneesh Phadnis I TNN
Yavatmal: She had perhaps not met a single minister in her life। However, on Saturday, Saraswati Ambarwar, widow of a Yavatmal cotton farmer, came face-to-face with President APJ Abdul Kalam, had a photo clicked with him and handed over a memorandum seeking loan waiver and jobs. The President, who attended the concluding cerermony of the Amolakchand College golden jubilee in Yavatmal, promised to look into the grievance of the widows. In fact, a meeting with the women was not part of the original schedule till Thursday, but the President consented to meet them for a few minutes at the airport. The women, whose husbands committed suicide owing to indebtedness, were accompanied by Kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti. "The President said he was very disturbed because of the situation in Vidarbha. He said he will study the memorandum and will ask the state and Centre to act on the demands. He said the widows should be rehabilitated and said he would call for a meeting of concerned officials," Tiwari told reporters after the meeting. "He wondered why the farmers were not included in the list of people below poverty line," Tiwari added. "Even now we have no money and can't till the farm. One of my daughters died of kidney failure. I don't have money to educate my second daughter," said Saraswati Ambarwar of Telangtakdi village. She and the two other women Nanda Bhendare and Kamlabai Gosavi Pawar claimed that they did not receive compensation from the government. A government official countered the claim and said all the three women were given Rs 1 lakh in compensation. "The President gave them a patient hearing and said he was concerned about the problem. While he spoke in English he had a Marathi interpreter from Delhi. He said training should be imparted to improve skills of the women," the official added. "The President heard them patiently but I don't the think he gave them any assurance regarding a meeting on the farmers issue," he added.
Courtesy - Aneesh Phadnis I TNN
Yavatmal: She had perhaps not met a single minister in her life। However, on Saturday, Saraswati Ambarwar, widow of a Yavatmal cotton farmer, came face-to-face with President APJ Abdul Kalam, had a photo clicked with him and handed over a memorandum seeking loan waiver and jobs. The President, who attended the concluding cerermony of the Amolakchand College golden jubilee in Yavatmal, promised to look into the grievance of the widows. In fact, a meeting with the women was not part of the original schedule till Thursday, but the President consented to meet them for a few minutes at the airport. The women, whose husbands committed suicide owing to indebtedness, were accompanied by Kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti. "The President said he was very disturbed because of the situation in Vidarbha. He said he will study the memorandum and will ask the state and Centre to act on the demands. He said the widows should be rehabilitated and said he would call for a meeting of concerned officials," Tiwari told reporters after the meeting. "He wondered why the farmers were not included in the list of people below poverty line," Tiwari added. "Even now we have no money and can't till the farm. One of my daughters died of kidney failure. I don't have money to educate my second daughter," said Saraswati Ambarwar of Telangtakdi village. She and the two other women Nanda Bhendare and Kamlabai Gosavi Pawar claimed that they did not receive compensation from the government. A government official countered the claim and said all the three women were given Rs 1 lakh in compensation. "The President gave them a patient hearing and said he was concerned about the problem. While he spoke in English he had a Marathi interpreter from Delhi. He said training should be imparted to improve skills of the women," the official added. "The President heard them patiently but I don't the think he gave them any assurance regarding a meeting on the farmers issue," he added.
Indian Farm Widows Allowed to Meet Indian President
vidarbha farm widows meets president of India-urged to save vidarbha dying farmer
from
vidarbha jan andolan samiti
vidarbha@gmail.com
contact-09422108846
yavatmal-15th june-2007
sub-vidarbha farm widows meets president of India-urged to save vidarbha dying farmer
lastly hon.ble president of india gave five minuts time to look at the helpless condition of vidarbha farm widows at yavatmal airport when he visited here to attend private function
delegation led by kolzari farm widows kamalbai pawar and his son prakash along with VJAS LEADER KISHOR TIWARI and 10 other widows has given the letter requesting him to save the dying vidarbha farmers
--------
text of the letter is
=============
VIDARBHA JAN ANDOLAN SAMITI
11, Trisaran Society, In front of Somalwar School, Khamla, Nagpur – 440 025
Tel No. (0712) 2282457 Mob No. 9422108846 / 9371137653 / 9373121947
(Regd Office : At Post : Pandharkawada-445 302, Tq : Kelapur, Distt : Yavatmal)
Ref No. VJAS/DY.CM//1175/2007 15th June, 2007
To,
Dr. Shri A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
His Highness Hon'ble President of India
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi – 110 001.
CAMP AT YAVATMAL (State of Maharashtra).
Sub : 1) FARMERS SUICIDES IN WESTERN PART OF THE VIDARBHA REGION OF MAHARASHTRA STATE :-
IDENTIFIED CAUSES OF FARMERS SUICIDE IN THE FAMILIES WITH EXTREME DISTRESS & WITH SERIOUS ILLNESS CATEGORIES AND THE REMEDIES THEREOF.
2) BT COTTON SEEDS KILLING FARMERS IN DRY LAND AREAS : bogus
& duplicate seeds freely sold due to apathy of state govt.
REF: Survey Report dated 15th June, 2006 conducted by the Government of Maharashtra's Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swawlamban Mission at Amravati in connection with the Farmers' plight
Hon'ble His Highness President Sir,
We are submitting this humble representation with kind prayer to exercise extraordinary powers given to Your Honour by the mandate of Article 78(b) of the Constitution of India to seek further immediate information from the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India being Head of Union Council of Ministers of your Government, in light of unpresented & unfortunate situation arising out of hundreds of suicides committed by distressed farmers in the Cotton Cultivating Belt of West Vidarbha Region of State of Maharashtra. You are aware that our India has seen that in Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra State, more than 4000 unfortunate farmers who have committed suicides in the last 4 years due to extreme distress & sorrow state of life, which they are subjected to live in the Independent India under the Presidential Regime of Your Honour.
At the outset, we are very much thankful for giving us an opportunity to appraise you the said grave issue of Farmers Suicides in the Cotton Growing Belt of Western Part of Vidarbha Region in the State of Maharashtra and to explain Your Honour the causes & immediate steps required to be taken by Union of India & State of Maharashtra thereon.
Hon'ble President Sir, Your Honour is well aware that our organization – Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti - is following the issue since last almost 9 years on the basis of the ground study & analysis of each and every case of unfortunate suicides of the farmers in different villages of Western Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra State. You have been receiving our e-mails, letters, memorandums almost daily since Your Honour occupied the Apex Post of Indian Democracy.
We all are aware that though the issue is complex and is the overall effect of various factors governing it, still we have few points to be highlighted for your immediate action in the interest of dying farmers, apart from the various long term measures suggested by various agencies including the High Power Committee appointed by Your Government under the Chairmanship of Hon'ble Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Former Chairman of National Commission of Farmers & the Father of Green Revolution in the country.
We are highlighting these points on the very basis of the above referred document, which is the Survey Report dated 15 th June, 2006 conducted by the Government of Maharashtra's Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swawlamban Mission at Amravati in connection with the Farmers' plight.
Sir, it is evident from the Survey Document that the farmers ' in extreme distress' as mentioned in the column 9 of the Survey Chart are 4,34,291 and the farmers families suffering from serious illness are 92,456.
The detailed survey was conducted by the said Government Controlled Mission at Amravati under the guidance of Divisional Commissioner at Amravati, in the 8351 Villages of 6 Districts of Vidarbha comprising of Yavatmal, Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Washim & Wardha in which 17,64,438 families were surveyed by the Mission.
On the basis of the in-depth study and analysis conducted by our organization, out of such a huge numbers of families from those surveyed villages, we would like to draw your immediate attention towards the column No. 8 & 9 pertaining to the farmers in extreme distress and farmers with serious illness as stated above.
THE FACTS & OUR EXPERIENCE :
Hon'ble Sir, in majority of cases of farmers suicides, we came to know that there is no food or medicine available to them and this plight has continued to result the extreme step of suicide by the said farmer and / or its family members.
Now, it is imperative on the part of the Union of India and State of Maharashtra that this known factors / points are to be attended to immediately so that these two class of farmers families i.e. the Farmers in Extreme Distress and Farmers Suffering from Serious Illness need to be attended immediately to remediate the plight of such farmers on the verge of committing suicides.
1) Farmers in Extreme Distress –
Identified Families : 4,34,291.
CAUSES IDENTIFIED :
After visiting the families of the farmers which committed suicides, we came to know that there was no food even sufficient for 2 days in the houses of such farmers. These unfortunate facts of non-availability of Food or money to buy food grain and / or the medicine, resulted in the ultimate sad and unfortunate incident of suicide by the said farmers who were unable to face the agony and distress of such unfortunate plight of indirect hunger and ultimate starvation of the family members including small children and old parents.
REMEDY SUGGESTED :
The Union of India through State of Maharashtra is providing food grain at the subsidized rate to the BPL families amongst the farm / landless labours. In order to stop the indirect hunger and starvation of these 4,34,291 Identified 'Families in Extreme Distress', most of them are small farmers of which the economic condition is not above the landless labourers (Col No. 9 of the Survey Chart), State of Maharashtra to provide 25 Kg of Food grain per month at the subsidized price @ Rs. 3 – 5 per kg under the PDS and/or any other special scheme to be announced at least for a period of 18 months now onwards. This will immediately result in providing direct food help to the 4,34,291 Identified Families in Extreme Distress and the indirect starvation of such families can be stopped so that the ultimate effect which is leading to the unfortunate suicide of the farmer family can be stopped, once the hunger and the indirect starvation of such families is attended to.
Farmers families suffering from Serious Illness –
Identified Families : 92,456.
CAUSES IDENTIFIED :
After visiting the families of the farmers which committed suicides, we also came to know that there was no medicine in the houses of such farmers where the family members are seriously ill or suffering from such diseases. The non-availability of medicine or money to buy food grain and / or the medicine, resulted in the ultimate sad and unfortunate incident of suicide by the said farmers who were unable to face the agony and distress of such unfortunate plight of indirect sufferings due to illness, hunger and ultimate starvation of the family members including small children and old parents.
REMEDY SUGGESTED :
The State is providing medical / health services to BPL families at the subsidized rate amongst the farm / landless labourers. In order to stop the indirect plight due to serious illness coupled with hunger and starvation of these 92,456 Identified Farmers Families with Serious Illness, most of them are small farmers of which the economic condition is not above the landless labourers (Col No. 8 of the Survey Chart), State of Maharashtra to provide Special BPL / Health Cards to such families so that they get the subsidized health care in Government run hospitals at par with the landless labourers or BPL families. This will immediately help in providing direct health care to the 92,456 Identified Families with Serious Illness and in Extreme Distress and which can help to stop the unfortunate suicide of the farmer families with serious illness.
Other IMPORTANT causes identified
1. UNCONTROLLED & UNRESTRICTED Sale OF BOGUS & DUPLICATE SEEDS :- It has been observed that Bogus & duplicate seeds being sold to poor and illiterate farmers due to Non implementation by the Govt. of Maharashtra of the Seed Control Order, 1983 issued under Sec. 3 of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to arrest and control the big wig seed trades and manufacturers. This massive corruption in sale of duplicate & bogus seeds has resulted in cheating of the farmer and increasing of debt due to improper farm yield because of poor and bogus quality of seeds being sold freely due to apathy of State Government. This has indirectly resulted the unfortunate suicide of the farmers who lost their crops due to poor quality of seeds being provided to them in lack of proper administrative control by the agriculture department quality & input of the seeds which otherwise could have been possible due to the stringent provisions contended in the seed control order, 1983 of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 if implemented in its true spirit & meaning. This failure on a part of State of Maharashtra to control the quality & input of seeds is one of the prime cause for the overall cheating and exploitation of the poor and illiterate farmers residing in the villages.
IMMEDIATE REMEDY
For immediate control of quality & input of seeds, it is high time that the State of Maharashtra be ordered by Union of India to implement the provisions of Seed Control Order 1983 and to instruct to issue delegation of power to its inspecting officer for control of quality & input seeds as required under sec. 12 of the Seed Control Order of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 which is the prime tool for the control of quality & input of seeds.
2. High cost of BT cotton seeds :- It has also been observed that the farmers are not being given proper advice and training by the Government of Maharashtra in Department of Agriculture since last several years. The costly and improper BT cotton seeds which are not suitable for dry land farming is being freely propagated and sold at a very high cost of Rs. 2000/- to Rs. 3600/- Per Kg of BT cotton seeds, cost of which is virtually killing the farmers due to high input cost and low yield.
REMEDIES SUGGESTED :
There must be the blanket ban on BT cotton seeds in the dry land farming areas. This has to be done immediately in order to save the farmers from undue exploitation and cheating. There must be ban on sale and mis leading advertisement of BT cotton seeds in the dry land areas of Maharashtra where such seeds are not useful for cultivation of cotton due to the high cost of input as compared to the yield. The so called upgrade technology is killing the farmers. So immediate steps may please be initiated by the Union of India in this regard to stop free trials and sales of GM and BT seeds to protect the farmer community at large.
PRAYER
Hon'ble Sir, in view of above, it is humbly prayed that Your Honour will arrange to call for the information from the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India as per the Provisions of Article 78(b) of Constitution of India and give suitable directions to provide food and health care to the families of the farmers in distress and to implement the provisions of the Seeds Control Order, 1983 in its true spirit & meaning and also arrange to stop free sale & trials of BT Cotton Seeds in dry land areas of the nation, so that the unfortunate incident of farmers suicides can be stopped to some extent.
Hon'ble Sir, we hope to get justice in the interest of farmers at large.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
For VIDARBHA JAN ANDOLAN SAMITI
KISHORE TIWARI
PRESIDENT
CC submitted to :
Hon'ble Governor, Govt. of Maharashtra, Raj Bhavan, Mumbai.
Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, PMO, North Block, Raj Path, New Delhi
Hon'ble Union Minister for Agriculture & Food – Civil Supply,
Govt. of India, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi.
Copy to :
1. Hon'ble Chief Minister, Govt. of Maharashtra Mantralaya Mumbai-32.
2. Hon'ble Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra Mantralaya Mumbai-32.
3. Hon'ble Principal Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra,
Deptt.of Relief & Rehabilitation, Mantralaya Mumbai-32.
4. Hon'ble Addl. Divisional Commissioner & Head of VNSSM at Amravati,
5. Hon'ble Collector, Yavatmal Distt. Yavatmal (MS)
6. Hon'ble Addl. Collector Yavatmal Distt. Yavatmal (MS)
from
vidarbha jan andolan samiti
vidarbha@gmail.com
contact-09422108846
yavatmal-15th june-2007
sub-vidarbha farm widows meets president of India-urged to save vidarbha dying farmer
lastly hon.ble president of india gave five minuts time to look at the helpless condition of vidarbha farm widows at yavatmal airport when he visited here to attend private function
delegation led by kolzari farm widows kamalbai pawar and his son prakash along with VJAS LEADER KISHOR TIWARI and 10 other widows has given the letter requesting him to save the dying vidarbha farmers
--------
text of the letter is
=============
VIDARBHA JAN ANDOLAN SAMITI
11, Trisaran Society, In front of Somalwar School, Khamla, Nagpur – 440 025
Tel No. (0712) 2282457 Mob No. 9422108846 / 9371137653 / 9373121947
(Regd Office : At Post : Pandharkawada-445 302, Tq : Kelapur, Distt : Yavatmal)
Ref No. VJAS/DY.CM//1175/2007 15th June, 2007
To,
Dr. Shri A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
His Highness Hon'ble President of India
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi – 110 001.
CAMP AT YAVATMAL (State of Maharashtra).
Sub : 1) FARMERS SUICIDES IN WESTERN PART OF THE VIDARBHA REGION OF MAHARASHTRA STATE :-
IDENTIFIED CAUSES OF FARMERS SUICIDE IN THE FAMILIES WITH EXTREME DISTRESS & WITH SERIOUS ILLNESS CATEGORIES AND THE REMEDIES THEREOF.
2) BT COTTON SEEDS KILLING FARMERS IN DRY LAND AREAS : bogus
& duplicate seeds freely sold due to apathy of state govt.
REF: Survey Report dated 15th June, 2006 conducted by the Government of Maharashtra's Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swawlamban Mission at Amravati in connection with the Farmers' plight
Hon'ble His Highness President Sir,
We are submitting this humble representation with kind prayer to exercise extraordinary powers given to Your Honour by the mandate of Article 78(b) of the Constitution of India to seek further immediate information from the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India being Head of Union Council of Ministers of your Government, in light of unpresented & unfortunate situation arising out of hundreds of suicides committed by distressed farmers in the Cotton Cultivating Belt of West Vidarbha Region of State of Maharashtra. You are aware that our India has seen that in Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra State, more than 4000 unfortunate farmers who have committed suicides in the last 4 years due to extreme distress & sorrow state of life, which they are subjected to live in the Independent India under the Presidential Regime of Your Honour.
At the outset, we are very much thankful for giving us an opportunity to appraise you the said grave issue of Farmers Suicides in the Cotton Growing Belt of Western Part of Vidarbha Region in the State of Maharashtra and to explain Your Honour the causes & immediate steps required to be taken by Union of India & State of Maharashtra thereon.
Hon'ble President Sir, Your Honour is well aware that our organization – Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti - is following the issue since last almost 9 years on the basis of the ground study & analysis of each and every case of unfortunate suicides of the farmers in different villages of Western Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra State. You have been receiving our e-mails, letters, memorandums almost daily since Your Honour occupied the Apex Post of Indian Democracy.
We all are aware that though the issue is complex and is the overall effect of various factors governing it, still we have few points to be highlighted for your immediate action in the interest of dying farmers, apart from the various long term measures suggested by various agencies including the High Power Committee appointed by Your Government under the Chairmanship of Hon'ble Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Former Chairman of National Commission of Farmers & the Father of Green Revolution in the country.
We are highlighting these points on the very basis of the above referred document, which is the Survey Report dated 15 th June, 2006 conducted by the Government of Maharashtra's Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swawlamban Mission at Amravati in connection with the Farmers' plight.
Sir, it is evident from the Survey Document that the farmers ' in extreme distress' as mentioned in the column 9 of the Survey Chart are 4,34,291 and the farmers families suffering from serious illness are 92,456.
The detailed survey was conducted by the said Government Controlled Mission at Amravati under the guidance of Divisional Commissioner at Amravati, in the 8351 Villages of 6 Districts of Vidarbha comprising of Yavatmal, Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Washim & Wardha in which 17,64,438 families were surveyed by the Mission.
On the basis of the in-depth study and analysis conducted by our organization, out of such a huge numbers of families from those surveyed villages, we would like to draw your immediate attention towards the column No. 8 & 9 pertaining to the farmers in extreme distress and farmers with serious illness as stated above.
THE FACTS & OUR EXPERIENCE :
Hon'ble Sir, in majority of cases of farmers suicides, we came to know that there is no food or medicine available to them and this plight has continued to result the extreme step of suicide by the said farmer and / or its family members.
Now, it is imperative on the part of the Union of India and State of Maharashtra that this known factors / points are to be attended to immediately so that these two class of farmers families i.e. the Farmers in Extreme Distress and Farmers Suffering from Serious Illness need to be attended immediately to remediate the plight of such farmers on the verge of committing suicides.
1) Farmers in Extreme Distress –
Identified Families : 4,34,291.
CAUSES IDENTIFIED :
After visiting the families of the farmers which committed suicides, we came to know that there was no food even sufficient for 2 days in the houses of such farmers. These unfortunate facts of non-availability of Food or money to buy food grain and / or the medicine, resulted in the ultimate sad and unfortunate incident of suicide by the said farmers who were unable to face the agony and distress of such unfortunate plight of indirect hunger and ultimate starvation of the family members including small children and old parents.
REMEDY SUGGESTED :
The Union of India through State of Maharashtra is providing food grain at the subsidized rate to the BPL families amongst the farm / landless labours. In order to stop the indirect hunger and starvation of these 4,34,291 Identified 'Families in Extreme Distress', most of them are small farmers of which the economic condition is not above the landless labourers (Col No. 9 of the Survey Chart), State of Maharashtra to provide 25 Kg of Food grain per month at the subsidized price @ Rs. 3 – 5 per kg under the PDS and/or any other special scheme to be announced at least for a period of 18 months now onwards. This will immediately result in providing direct food help to the 4,34,291 Identified Families in Extreme Distress and the indirect starvation of such families can be stopped so that the ultimate effect which is leading to the unfortunate suicide of the farmer family can be stopped, once the hunger and the indirect starvation of such families is attended to.
Farmers families suffering from Serious Illness –
Identified Families : 92,456.
CAUSES IDENTIFIED :
After visiting the families of the farmers which committed suicides, we also came to know that there was no medicine in the houses of such farmers where the family members are seriously ill or suffering from such diseases. The non-availability of medicine or money to buy food grain and / or the medicine, resulted in the ultimate sad and unfortunate incident of suicide by the said farmers who were unable to face the agony and distress of such unfortunate plight of indirect sufferings due to illness, hunger and ultimate starvation of the family members including small children and old parents.
REMEDY SUGGESTED :
The State is providing medical / health services to BPL families at the subsidized rate amongst the farm / landless labourers. In order to stop the indirect plight due to serious illness coupled with hunger and starvation of these 92,456 Identified Farmers Families with Serious Illness, most of them are small farmers of which the economic condition is not above the landless labourers (Col No. 8 of the Survey Chart), State of Maharashtra to provide Special BPL / Health Cards to such families so that they get the subsidized health care in Government run hospitals at par with the landless labourers or BPL families. This will immediately help in providing direct health care to the 92,456 Identified Families with Serious Illness and in Extreme Distress and which can help to stop the unfortunate suicide of the farmer families with serious illness.
Other IMPORTANT causes identified
1. UNCONTROLLED & UNRESTRICTED Sale OF BOGUS & DUPLICATE SEEDS :- It has been observed that Bogus & duplicate seeds being sold to poor and illiterate farmers due to Non implementation by the Govt. of Maharashtra of the Seed Control Order, 1983 issued under Sec. 3 of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to arrest and control the big wig seed trades and manufacturers. This massive corruption in sale of duplicate & bogus seeds has resulted in cheating of the farmer and increasing of debt due to improper farm yield because of poor and bogus quality of seeds being sold freely due to apathy of State Government. This has indirectly resulted the unfortunate suicide of the farmers who lost their crops due to poor quality of seeds being provided to them in lack of proper administrative control by the agriculture department quality & input of the seeds which otherwise could have been possible due to the stringent provisions contended in the seed control order, 1983 of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 if implemented in its true spirit & meaning. This failure on a part of State of Maharashtra to control the quality & input of seeds is one of the prime cause for the overall cheating and exploitation of the poor and illiterate farmers residing in the villages.
IMMEDIATE REMEDY
For immediate control of quality & input of seeds, it is high time that the State of Maharashtra be ordered by Union of India to implement the provisions of Seed Control Order 1983 and to instruct to issue delegation of power to its inspecting officer for control of quality & input seeds as required under sec. 12 of the Seed Control Order of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 which is the prime tool for the control of quality & input of seeds.
2. High cost of BT cotton seeds :- It has also been observed that the farmers are not being given proper advice and training by the Government of Maharashtra in Department of Agriculture since last several years. The costly and improper BT cotton seeds which are not suitable for dry land farming is being freely propagated and sold at a very high cost of Rs. 2000/- to Rs. 3600/- Per Kg of BT cotton seeds, cost of which is virtually killing the farmers due to high input cost and low yield.
REMEDIES SUGGESTED :
There must be the blanket ban on BT cotton seeds in the dry land farming areas. This has to be done immediately in order to save the farmers from undue exploitation and cheating. There must be ban on sale and mis leading advertisement of BT cotton seeds in the dry land areas of Maharashtra where such seeds are not useful for cultivation of cotton due to the high cost of input as compared to the yield. The so called upgrade technology is killing the farmers. So immediate steps may please be initiated by the Union of India in this regard to stop free trials and sales of GM and BT seeds to protect the farmer community at large.
PRAYER
Hon'ble Sir, in view of above, it is humbly prayed that Your Honour will arrange to call for the information from the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India as per the Provisions of Article 78(b) of Constitution of India and give suitable directions to provide food and health care to the families of the farmers in distress and to implement the provisions of the Seeds Control Order, 1983 in its true spirit & meaning and also arrange to stop free sale & trials of BT Cotton Seeds in dry land areas of the nation, so that the unfortunate incident of farmers suicides can be stopped to some extent.
Hon'ble Sir, we hope to get justice in the interest of farmers at large.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
For VIDARBHA JAN ANDOLAN SAMITI
KISHORE TIWARI
PRESIDENT
CC submitted to :
Hon'ble Governor, Govt. of Maharashtra, Raj Bhavan, Mumbai.
Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, PMO, North Block, Raj Path, New Delhi
Hon'ble Union Minister for Agriculture & Food – Civil Supply,
Govt. of India, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi.
Copy to :
1. Hon'ble Chief Minister, Govt. of Maharashtra Mantralaya Mumbai-32.
2. Hon'ble Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra Mantralaya Mumbai-32.
3. Hon'ble Principal Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra,
Deptt.of Relief & Rehabilitation, Mantralaya Mumbai-32.
4. Hon'ble Addl. Divisional Commissioner & Head of VNSSM at Amravati,
5. Hon'ble Collector, Yavatmal Distt. Yavatmal (MS)
6. Hon'ble Addl. Collector Yavatmal Distt. Yavatmal (MS)
Last Minute Permission - 5 Minutes Audience At Last
Nagpur, June. 14 :
The Maharashtra Government earlier denied permission to widows of farmers who committed suicide to meet President A P J Abdul Kalam during his visit to Yavatamal on June 15 by now after media exposed the apathy of administration over the farmers suicides issue, collector of yavatmal abha shukla infomed VJAS leader kishor tiwari that hon,ble president of India has given the permission to meet vidarbha farm widows delegation at yavatmal air port at around 10 a.m. for 5 minuts.
kamalabai goswami pawar and his son prakash pawar of village kolzari where indian prime minister Dr. manmohan singh was to visit last year on 1st july 2006 but failed to do so because of opposition of local administration and swarswatibai ramdas ambarwar the widows who featured in the yesterdays article of national daily hindu written by p.sainath has been included in the delegation .
widows nanda bhandare rekha gurnule and smita bakamwar will also present their plights of the vidarbha farm widows
The vidarbha jan andolan samiti earlier had sought a five-minute appointment with the President to brief him about the prevailing situation and the President's office also had shown keenness but it was rejected by the Maharashtra government, citing administrative and law and order problems
VJAS alleged thatd the government wants only the leader of the delegation to meet the President but this will not serve the purpose. If the President interacts with farmers and the widows, he will come to know about the condition of distressed farmers.
kishor tiwari added that the Samiti, which does not want to politicise the issue, decided to present case before the president and will request him ask details of farmers suicides under article 72 of Indian Constitution .In vidarbha in last 4 years more than 4000 cotton farmers committed suicides and vidarbha is sitting on suicide volcano so it is not expected to from president of India to attend fanfare of private college function ,VJAS leader has requested him to cut short his visit from air port itself so that it will not carry the wrong impression to international media who is covering vidarbha agrarian crisis ,kishor tiwari added.
we will try to present our case and raise main demands of loan waiver and better price to cotton before prez,so that it will serve our purpose to pressure maharashtra Govt.,kishor tiwari said
The Maharashtra Government earlier denied permission to widows of farmers who committed suicide to meet President A P J Abdul Kalam during his visit to Yavatamal on June 15 by now after media exposed the apathy of administration over the farmers suicides issue, collector of yavatmal abha shukla infomed VJAS leader kishor tiwari that hon,ble president of India has given the permission to meet vidarbha farm widows delegation at yavatmal air port at around 10 a.m. for 5 minuts.
kamalabai goswami pawar and his son prakash pawar of village kolzari where indian prime minister Dr. manmohan singh was to visit last year on 1st july 2006 but failed to do so because of opposition of local administration and swarswatibai ramdas ambarwar the widows who featured in the yesterdays article of national daily hindu written by p.sainath has been included in the delegation .
widows nanda bhandare rekha gurnule and smita bakamwar will also present their plights of the vidarbha farm widows
The vidarbha jan andolan samiti earlier had sought a five-minute appointment with the President to brief him about the prevailing situation and the President's office also had shown keenness but it was rejected by the Maharashtra government, citing administrative and law and order problems
VJAS alleged thatd the government wants only the leader of the delegation to meet the President but this will not serve the purpose. If the President interacts with farmers and the widows, he will come to know about the condition of distressed farmers.
kishor tiwari added that the Samiti, which does not want to politicise the issue, decided to present case before the president and will request him ask details of farmers suicides under article 72 of Indian Constitution .In vidarbha in last 4 years more than 4000 cotton farmers committed suicides and vidarbha is sitting on suicide volcano so it is not expected to from president of India to attend fanfare of private college function ,VJAS leader has requested him to cut short his visit from air port itself so that it will not carry the wrong impression to international media who is covering vidarbha agrarian crisis ,kishor tiwari added.
we will try to present our case and raise main demands of loan waiver and better price to cotton before prez,so that it will serve our purpose to pressure maharashtra Govt.,kishor tiwari said
Maharashtra denies permission to Widows to meet Kalam
Courtesy National Hindu -
Maharashtra denies permission to farmers' widows to meet Kalam
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200706131927.htm
Nagpur, June. 13 (PTI): The Maharashtra Government has denied permission to an NGO to lead a delegation of widows of farmers who committed suicide to meet President A P J Abdul Kalam during his visit to Yavatamal on June 15.
The Samiti had sought a five-minute appointment with the President to brief him about the prevailing situation and the President's office also had shown keenness.
But the Maharashtra government, citing administrative and law and order problems, has denied such permission, Samiti president Kishore Tiwari said in a release today.
He said the government wants only the leader of the delegation to meet the President but this will not serve the purpose. If the President interacts with farmers and the widows, he will come to know about the condition of distressed farmers.
He said the Samiti, which does not want to politicise the issue, had planned an audience with the President but state government had used pressure to cancel the meeting.
The Samiti has now decided to go ahead with a protest by the widows during the President's visit.
Maharashtra denies permission to farmers' widows to meet Kalam
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200706131927.htm
Nagpur, June. 13 (PTI): The Maharashtra Government has denied permission to an NGO to lead a delegation of widows of farmers who committed suicide to meet President A P J Abdul Kalam during his visit to Yavatamal on June 15.
The Samiti had sought a five-minute appointment with the President to brief him about the prevailing situation and the President's office also had shown keenness.
But the Maharashtra government, citing administrative and law and order problems, has denied such permission, Samiti president Kishore Tiwari said in a release today.
He said the government wants only the leader of the delegation to meet the President but this will not serve the purpose. If the President interacts with farmers and the widows, he will come to know about the condition of distressed farmers.
He said the Samiti, which does not want to politicise the issue, had planned an audience with the President but state government had used pressure to cancel the meeting.
The Samiti has now decided to go ahead with a protest by the widows during the President's visit.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Indian Rashtrapati and Vidarbha Widows
Ref: VJAS/POI-Visit/175/07 Date : 09/06/2007
An Open Letter to :
Respected Hon'ble President of India –
His Highness Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
It's not all well in Vidarbha to attend cultural programmes : Farmers are dying – rural economy is on the verge of collapse !
"Would you please spare few minutes to meet unfortunate widows of farmers who killed their lives in extreme distress and due to complete failure of Govt. Policies ruining the entire Indian Rural Economy in the background of so called shining india which resulted agrarian crisis witnessed by Vidarbha as a live lesson to learn!"
Ref : Your proposed visit to Farmers Suicide Epicenter – Yavatmal & Wardha Districts of Vidarbha Region in the State of Maharashtra.
Respected His Highness Dr. Abdul Kalamji,
You are well aware that, since last couple of years our organization – Vidarbha JanAndolan Samiti, is raising the issue of plight of poor farmers who are in extreme distress & suffering the heat of failure of Govt. policies, which has resulted in complete collapse of Indian Rural Economy and perhaps Vidarbha Region has been branded as Epicenter of farmers suicides and is witnessing a live lesson to learn.
From the days Your Honour occupied the coveted post of President of India, we have been keeping you informed about the plight of farmers & agrarian community in Vidarbha and their distressed conditions. We have also kept Your Honour posted regularly with the facts & figures of the ruining Indian Rural Economy and always prayed for your humble intervention in the interest of justice to the farmers & Rural India.
Hon'ble Mr. Sir, you may recall that since last two years, everyday in the morning, we have been mailing Your Honour the updated list containing names, addresses & other relevant details of the unfortunate farmers whose continued series of suicides due to extreme distress conditions prevailing in the Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra State, is heating the National & International news sense. We also submitted a detailed report containing the facts how Prime Minister Relief Package has failed to address the basic issues.
We are extremely sorry that we neither received any reply from your office on our various mails / fax / letters sent to you almost daily nor came to know any action is initiated by you on such a serious issue of plight of farmers in Vidarbha Region.
We regret that your office have not addressed issue in a manner it would have been, considering the gravity, seriousness & intensity of the subject. Perhaps this might be due to your busy schedule.
Now we understand that, you are visiting Yavatmal & Wardha Districts of Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra State for some cultural & educational programmes as Guest of Honour. While we propose to welcome & extend best wishes to you for your proposed visit to Yavatmal & Wardha Districts of Vidarbha Region, we would like to request you for sparing few minutes for the grief ridden unfortunate families & widows of farmers who killed themselves due to continued plight & miserable life being experienced by entire Rural India, economy of which is in extreme broken condition and due to that the farmers at large are constraint to commit suicides. Vidarbha agrarian crisis is a live example of how we are proceeding in a Global Economy in which issues of Rural India & farmers have thrown to back benches. Yavatmal & Wardha are the worst heat districts and therefore, being termed as Epicenter of farmers suicides, if you refer to the reports submitted by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Former Chairman of National Commission on Farmers & your friend.
We will be highly obliged, if you could spare few minutes to meet unfortunate widows of farmers either at Yavatmal or Wardha and incorporate this meeting in your busy schedule programme and arrange to inform us accordingly.
However, we strongly feel that it is not all well in Vidarbha and therefore, it's not right time for any cultural or dancing session inauguration. Social issues are so grave that, such white collar cultural & dancing session inauguration programmes need to be discarded and we all should address thrust issues of ruining Rural Economy of India and the agrarian crisis. We feel your Yavatmal & Wardha visit must addressed these core issues and due importance may please be given on such a serious subject.
Hon'ble Mr. Sir, We hope you will understand our feelings and do the needful accordingly.
Best Regards,
Yours faithfully,
For VIDARBHA JANANDOLAN SAMITI
KISHORE TIWARI
PRESIDENT
An Open Letter to :
Respected Hon'ble President of India –
His Highness Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
It's not all well in Vidarbha to attend cultural programmes : Farmers are dying – rural economy is on the verge of collapse !
"Would you please spare few minutes to meet unfortunate widows of farmers who killed their lives in extreme distress and due to complete failure of Govt. Policies ruining the entire Indian Rural Economy in the background of so called shining india which resulted agrarian crisis witnessed by Vidarbha as a live lesson to learn!"
Ref : Your proposed visit to Farmers Suicide Epicenter – Yavatmal & Wardha Districts of Vidarbha Region in the State of Maharashtra.
Respected His Highness Dr. Abdul Kalamji,
You are well aware that, since last couple of years our organization – Vidarbha JanAndolan Samiti, is raising the issue of plight of poor farmers who are in extreme distress & suffering the heat of failure of Govt. policies, which has resulted in complete collapse of Indian Rural Economy and perhaps Vidarbha Region has been branded as Epicenter of farmers suicides and is witnessing a live lesson to learn.
From the days Your Honour occupied the coveted post of President of India, we have been keeping you informed about the plight of farmers & agrarian community in Vidarbha and their distressed conditions. We have also kept Your Honour posted regularly with the facts & figures of the ruining Indian Rural Economy and always prayed for your humble intervention in the interest of justice to the farmers & Rural India.
Hon'ble Mr. Sir, you may recall that since last two years, everyday in the morning, we have been mailing Your Honour the updated list containing names, addresses & other relevant details of the unfortunate farmers whose continued series of suicides due to extreme distress conditions prevailing in the Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra State, is heating the National & International news sense. We also submitted a detailed report containing the facts how Prime Minister Relief Package has failed to address the basic issues.
We are extremely sorry that we neither received any reply from your office on our various mails / fax / letters sent to you almost daily nor came to know any action is initiated by you on such a serious issue of plight of farmers in Vidarbha Region.
We regret that your office have not addressed issue in a manner it would have been, considering the gravity, seriousness & intensity of the subject. Perhaps this might be due to your busy schedule.
Now we understand that, you are visiting Yavatmal & Wardha Districts of Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra State for some cultural & educational programmes as Guest of Honour. While we propose to welcome & extend best wishes to you for your proposed visit to Yavatmal & Wardha Districts of Vidarbha Region, we would like to request you for sparing few minutes for the grief ridden unfortunate families & widows of farmers who killed themselves due to continued plight & miserable life being experienced by entire Rural India, economy of which is in extreme broken condition and due to that the farmers at large are constraint to commit suicides. Vidarbha agrarian crisis is a live example of how we are proceeding in a Global Economy in which issues of Rural India & farmers have thrown to back benches. Yavatmal & Wardha are the worst heat districts and therefore, being termed as Epicenter of farmers suicides, if you refer to the reports submitted by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Former Chairman of National Commission on Farmers & your friend.
We will be highly obliged, if you could spare few minutes to meet unfortunate widows of farmers either at Yavatmal or Wardha and incorporate this meeting in your busy schedule programme and arrange to inform us accordingly.
However, we strongly feel that it is not all well in Vidarbha and therefore, it's not right time for any cultural or dancing session inauguration. Social issues are so grave that, such white collar cultural & dancing session inauguration programmes need to be discarded and we all should address thrust issues of ruining Rural Economy of India and the agrarian crisis. We feel your Yavatmal & Wardha visit must addressed these core issues and due importance may please be given on such a serious subject.
Hon'ble Mr. Sir, We hope you will understand our feelings and do the needful accordingly.
Best Regards,
Yours faithfully,
For VIDARBHA JANANDOLAN SAMITI
KISHORE TIWARI
PRESIDENT
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Kolam Tribal Starvation Deaths PIL - NHRC Visit
VIDARBHA JAN ANDOLAN SAMITI :
11, Trisaran Society, In front of Somalwar School, Khamla, Nagpur – 440 025
Tel No. (0712) 2282457 Mob No. 9422108846 / 9371137653 / 9373121947
(Regd Office : At Post : Pandharkawada-445 302, Tq : Kelapur, Distt : Yavatmal)
Ref No. VJAS/PIL-HC/Kolam Deaths/175/2007, June 2, 2007
NHRC VISIT Regarding STARVATION & MALNUTRITION DEATHS OF KOLAM TRIBALS :
NHRC Team to visit vidarbha on 4th june to have on the spot of fact finding report on kolam starvation death and condition regarding Drinking Water, Health Care & BPL Benefits to Kolam Tribals
Petitioner VJAS to raise all issues of plights of Tribals and lack of support from Government before NHRC
After having very difficult task to save the Maharashtra Govt. before Nagpur Bench of Mumbai High Court in PIL pertaining to most serious issues of Starvation & Malnutrition Deaths of Kolam Tribals in Yavatmal District, Now team of NHRC(Natinal huma right commission) headed Dr.L.P.Mishra is visitng on 4th june to vidarbha .This is the NHRC special team will visit all kolam pods to see in to facts raised by the Kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti regading Government Apathy & lack of timely support from Mantralaya to address the various issues involving Right to Food, Shelter – Gharkul, Health Care, Education, Drinking Water, etc. to be made available to the distressed Tribals family in the Yavatmal District by the Ground Level Administration in solving the issues and the look in to the the Officials limitations in speedy implementing the Tribal Schemes for want of budgetary supports and approvals of the State Government.
Along with NHRC team ,it is reported Amravati Divisional Commissioner Dr. Sudhir Goyal , PIL Petitioner Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti President Sh. Kishore Tiwari and Counsels Adv. Firdos Mirza, Adv. Vinod Tiwari, Adv. Ajay Somani, Asst. Govt. Pleaders Smt. Bharti Dangre & Sh. Arvind Mujumdar and host of the Government Officials from Yavatmal District including District Collector Dr. Harshwardhan Kamble, Z.P. CEO Dr. Sikar Pardesi, Additional Tribal Commissioner Sh. Hmant Limaye, Dy. Commissioner - Civil Supply Sh. Hemant Pawar, Dy. Commissioner Sh. Jaywant Choudhari, I.D.T.P. Project Officer Sh. S.N.Saidane, Dr. Rathod (District Health Officer), Dy. Director of Health Services of Akola and other Officials of Tribals Development and District Administration will visit these kolam pods.NHRC is investigating the complaint filled by Petitioner Sh. Kishore Tiwari in the year 2003, in the wake of untimely, sudden starvation deaths of 52 Kolam Tribals which rocked entire nation in the year 2003.
It may be recalled that the report of High Power Committee appointed by the Hon'ble High Court had pointed out serious issues pertaining to Poor Health-Care, Contaminated & Poisonous Drinking Water, poor conditions of Ashram Schools run by Politicians, short coming in BPL Schemes and denial of benefits to the poor & innocent tribals families residing in 710 villages of tribals belts of Yavatmal Districts. Upon perusal of the report and on the request of PIL Petitioner, the High Court had ordered State Government to take immediate steps and submit Action Taken Report on the serious points raised by the High Power Committee headed by the Divisional Commissioner, Amravati in which Top IAS Officials where the Members of the said fact finding committee who all are the part of administration governing the control of various schemes. But in the joint meeting, officials express their limitations in solving various burning problems of the Tribals inspite of knowing fully well, as they lack in getting timely support from the State Government at Mantralaya even after their repeated efforts.
According to VJAS NHRC team will certainly be shocked to note that many of the villages are forced to drink fluoride contaminated and poisonous drinking water, non availability of Doctors in Tribals area, miserable conditions of shelter and housing, mis-managed Ashram Schools run by the Politicians, non inclusion of illegible families in BPL List due to delay in finalization of BPL list at Mantralaya level, guaranteed employment to the Tribals, etc.
NHRC has been adked for urgent needs for protection of deprived Tribal families whose fundamental Rights to Live & Liberty is infringed due to negligence of State Government as the Tribals have been denied Right to Food, Shelter, Health – Care, Drinking Water & Education inspite of the directions from the Hon'ble High Court.
Limitations of timely support from Mantralaya, the results expected have not been seen effectively, even after four years of continued efforts of the District Administration. The Petitioner was very critical upon the lack of support from State Government and its apathy towards the burning issues of the Tribals in Yavatmal district for which the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti is fighting continuously since last Seven Years.
Kishor Tiwari
Vidarbha JanAndolan Samiti
11, Trisaran Society, In front of Somalwar School, Khamla, Nagpur – 440 025
Tel No. (0712) 2282457 Mob No. 9422108846 / 9371137653 / 9373121947
(Regd Office : At Post : Pandharkawada-445 302, Tq : Kelapur, Distt : Yavatmal)
Ref No. VJAS/PIL-HC/Kolam Deaths/175/2007, June 2, 2007
NHRC VISIT Regarding STARVATION & MALNUTRITION DEATHS OF KOLAM TRIBALS :
NHRC Team to visit vidarbha on 4th june to have on the spot of fact finding report on kolam starvation death and condition regarding Drinking Water, Health Care & BPL Benefits to Kolam Tribals
Petitioner VJAS to raise all issues of plights of Tribals and lack of support from Government before NHRC
After having very difficult task to save the Maharashtra Govt. before Nagpur Bench of Mumbai High Court in PIL pertaining to most serious issues of Starvation & Malnutrition Deaths of Kolam Tribals in Yavatmal District, Now team of NHRC(Natinal huma right commission) headed Dr.L.P.Mishra is visitng on 4th june to vidarbha .This is the NHRC special team will visit all kolam pods to see in to facts raised by the Kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti regading Government Apathy & lack of timely support from Mantralaya to address the various issues involving Right to Food, Shelter – Gharkul, Health Care, Education, Drinking Water, etc. to be made available to the distressed Tribals family in the Yavatmal District by the Ground Level Administration in solving the issues and the look in to the the Officials limitations in speedy implementing the Tribal Schemes for want of budgetary supports and approvals of the State Government.
Along with NHRC team ,it is reported Amravati Divisional Commissioner Dr. Sudhir Goyal , PIL Petitioner Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti President Sh. Kishore Tiwari and Counsels Adv. Firdos Mirza, Adv. Vinod Tiwari, Adv. Ajay Somani, Asst. Govt. Pleaders Smt. Bharti Dangre & Sh. Arvind Mujumdar and host of the Government Officials from Yavatmal District including District Collector Dr. Harshwardhan Kamble, Z.P. CEO Dr. Sikar Pardesi, Additional Tribal Commissioner Sh. Hmant Limaye, Dy. Commissioner - Civil Supply Sh. Hemant Pawar, Dy. Commissioner Sh. Jaywant Choudhari, I.D.T.P. Project Officer Sh. S.N.Saidane, Dr. Rathod (District Health Officer), Dy. Director of Health Services of Akola and other Officials of Tribals Development and District Administration will visit these kolam pods.NHRC is investigating the complaint filled by Petitioner Sh. Kishore Tiwari in the year 2003, in the wake of untimely, sudden starvation deaths of 52 Kolam Tribals which rocked entire nation in the year 2003.
It may be recalled that the report of High Power Committee appointed by the Hon'ble High Court had pointed out serious issues pertaining to Poor Health-Care, Contaminated & Poisonous Drinking Water, poor conditions of Ashram Schools run by Politicians, short coming in BPL Schemes and denial of benefits to the poor & innocent tribals families residing in 710 villages of tribals belts of Yavatmal Districts. Upon perusal of the report and on the request of PIL Petitioner, the High Court had ordered State Government to take immediate steps and submit Action Taken Report on the serious points raised by the High Power Committee headed by the Divisional Commissioner, Amravati in which Top IAS Officials where the Members of the said fact finding committee who all are the part of administration governing the control of various schemes. But in the joint meeting, officials express their limitations in solving various burning problems of the Tribals inspite of knowing fully well, as they lack in getting timely support from the State Government at Mantralaya even after their repeated efforts.
According to VJAS NHRC team will certainly be shocked to note that many of the villages are forced to drink fluoride contaminated and poisonous drinking water, non availability of Doctors in Tribals area, miserable conditions of shelter and housing, mis-managed Ashram Schools run by the Politicians, non inclusion of illegible families in BPL List due to delay in finalization of BPL list at Mantralaya level, guaranteed employment to the Tribals, etc.
NHRC has been adked for urgent needs for protection of deprived Tribal families whose fundamental Rights to Live & Liberty is infringed due to negligence of State Government as the Tribals have been denied Right to Food, Shelter, Health – Care, Drinking Water & Education inspite of the directions from the Hon'ble High Court.
Limitations of timely support from Mantralaya, the results expected have not been seen effectively, even after four years of continued efforts of the District Administration. The Petitioner was very critical upon the lack of support from State Government and its apathy towards the burning issues of the Tribals in Yavatmal district for which the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti is fighting continuously since last Seven Years.
Kishor Tiwari
Vidarbha JanAndolan Samiti
Thursday, May 24, 2007
PMO Satisfied with Vidarbha Package Implementation
REDUCTION IN INCIDENCE OF FARMERS' SUICIDES IN VIDARBHA ?
Link - HTTP://WWW.NEWKERALA.COM/NEWS5.PHP?ACTION=FULLNEWS&ID=31711
MUMBAI, MAY 21: THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (PMO) HAS EXPRESSED SATISFACTION OVER THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SPECIAL FINANCIAL PACKAGE TO DISTRICTS IN VIDARBHA THAT ARE PRONE TO SUICIDES BY FARMERS.
THE PMO RECENTLY REVIEWED THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PACKAGE, AN OFFICIAL RELEASE ISSUED HERE TODAY SAID.
IT SAID DUE TO EFFECTIVE STEPS TAKEN BY THE STATE GOVERNMENT, THE NUMBER OF SUICIDES DUE TO AGRICULTURE-RELATED PROBLEMS, THAT WERE AROUND 60 A MONTH, HAS COME DOWN TO 20.
PMO ALSO NOTED THAT CHIEF MINISTER VILASRAO DESHMUKH WAS PERSONALLY MONITORING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PACKAGE.
OF THE TOTAL PACKAGE FO RS 3,650 CRORE, ABOUT 40 PER CENT (RS 1,526 CR) HAVE BEEN SPENT IN THE LAST NINE MONTHS. THE PMO HAS SAID THAT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PACKAGE IN THE FIRST YEAR HAS BEEN SATISFACTORY. THE STATE GOVERNMENT HAS MADE IT CLEAR THAT IT WILL ACHIEVE THE TARGET OF 75 PER CENT IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
THE OBJECTIVE OF WAIVER OF INTEREST RATE ON PENDING LOANS HAS EXCEEDED RS 712 CRORE TO RS 825 CRORE. ABOUT 10 LAKH FARMERS HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE AGRICULTURE CREDIT. THE LOAN DISBURSEMENT HAS DOUBLED DURING 2005-06.
AN ADDITIONAL 34,000 HECTARE IRRIGATION CAPACITY HAS BEEN CREATED DURING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PM'S PACKAGE SO FAR. AS MANY AS 11 PROJECTS HAVE BEEN SANCTIONED AND RS 615 CRORE HAVE BEEN SPENT.
DURING THE RABI SEASON OF 2005-06, 1.25 LAKH QUINTAL SEEDS WERE DISTRIBUTED. DURING THE KHARIF SEASON OF 2007, ADDITIONAL FOUR LAKH SEEDS HAVE BEEN KEPT READY, THE RELEASE ADDED.
--------------
UNQUOTE :
MAHARASHTRA GOVT. CLARIFICATION IS MISLEADING AS RS.1526 CRORE OF PRIME MINISTER PACKAGE RS.712 CRORE WENT TO THE BANK AND REMAINING AMOUNT RS.800 CRORE WERE GIVEN TO IRRIGATION CONTRACTOR AFTER TAKING 20 % COMMISSION FROM THEM,KISHOR TIWARI OF VJAS INFORMED.
MAHARASHTRA GOVT. CLAIM OF CREATING ADDITIONAL CAPACITY OF 34,000 HECTOR FOR IRRIGATION IS ONLY ON PAPER AND 1.25 LACS QUINTAL SEED DISTRIBUTED IN LAST RABI SEASON HAS NOT EVEN INCREASED 1.25 LAC QUINTAL OF ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION IN RABI SEASON DUE WRONG SELECTION OF SEED AND MASSIVE CORRUPTION IN DISTRIBUTION OF SEED AND SAME WILL HAPPEN TO FOUR LAC QUINTAL SEED BEING DISTRIBUTED IN THIS YEAR AS THESE SEED ARE GIVEN ON 50% SUBSIDY NOT FREE AND COST FIX BY THE GOVT. IS 100% LOADED THAN MARKET PRICE OF THE SAME SEED MORE OVER IT IS BEING GIVEN ONE POCKET PER FARMER WHICH HARDLY COVER LESS THAN ACRE OF SOWING HENCE IT IS ONLY PAPER CLAIM NOT RELIEF, KISHOR TIWARI ADDED.
Link - HTTP://WWW.NEWKERALA.COM/NEWS5.PHP?ACTION=FULLNEWS&ID=31711
MUMBAI, MAY 21: THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (PMO) HAS EXPRESSED SATISFACTION OVER THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SPECIAL FINANCIAL PACKAGE TO DISTRICTS IN VIDARBHA THAT ARE PRONE TO SUICIDES BY FARMERS.
THE PMO RECENTLY REVIEWED THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PACKAGE, AN OFFICIAL RELEASE ISSUED HERE TODAY SAID.
IT SAID DUE TO EFFECTIVE STEPS TAKEN BY THE STATE GOVERNMENT, THE NUMBER OF SUICIDES DUE TO AGRICULTURE-RELATED PROBLEMS, THAT WERE AROUND 60 A MONTH, HAS COME DOWN TO 20.
PMO ALSO NOTED THAT CHIEF MINISTER VILASRAO DESHMUKH WAS PERSONALLY MONITORING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PACKAGE.
OF THE TOTAL PACKAGE FO RS 3,650 CRORE, ABOUT 40 PER CENT (RS 1,526 CR) HAVE BEEN SPENT IN THE LAST NINE MONTHS. THE PMO HAS SAID THAT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PACKAGE IN THE FIRST YEAR HAS BEEN SATISFACTORY. THE STATE GOVERNMENT HAS MADE IT CLEAR THAT IT WILL ACHIEVE THE TARGET OF 75 PER CENT IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
THE OBJECTIVE OF WAIVER OF INTEREST RATE ON PENDING LOANS HAS EXCEEDED RS 712 CRORE TO RS 825 CRORE. ABOUT 10 LAKH FARMERS HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE AGRICULTURE CREDIT. THE LOAN DISBURSEMENT HAS DOUBLED DURING 2005-06.
AN ADDITIONAL 34,000 HECTARE IRRIGATION CAPACITY HAS BEEN CREATED DURING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PM'S PACKAGE SO FAR. AS MANY AS 11 PROJECTS HAVE BEEN SANCTIONED AND RS 615 CRORE HAVE BEEN SPENT.
DURING THE RABI SEASON OF 2005-06, 1.25 LAKH QUINTAL SEEDS WERE DISTRIBUTED. DURING THE KHARIF SEASON OF 2007, ADDITIONAL FOUR LAKH SEEDS HAVE BEEN KEPT READY, THE RELEASE ADDED.
--------------
UNQUOTE :
MAHARASHTRA GOVT. CLARIFICATION IS MISLEADING AS RS.1526 CRORE OF PRIME MINISTER PACKAGE RS.712 CRORE WENT TO THE BANK AND REMAINING AMOUNT RS.800 CRORE WERE GIVEN TO IRRIGATION CONTRACTOR AFTER TAKING 20 % COMMISSION FROM THEM,KISHOR TIWARI OF VJAS INFORMED.
MAHARASHTRA GOVT. CLAIM OF CREATING ADDITIONAL CAPACITY OF 34,000 HECTOR FOR IRRIGATION IS ONLY ON PAPER AND 1.25 LACS QUINTAL SEED DISTRIBUTED IN LAST RABI SEASON HAS NOT EVEN INCREASED 1.25 LAC QUINTAL OF ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION IN RABI SEASON DUE WRONG SELECTION OF SEED AND MASSIVE CORRUPTION IN DISTRIBUTION OF SEED AND SAME WILL HAPPEN TO FOUR LAC QUINTAL SEED BEING DISTRIBUTED IN THIS YEAR AS THESE SEED ARE GIVEN ON 50% SUBSIDY NOT FREE AND COST FIX BY THE GOVT. IS 100% LOADED THAN MARKET PRICE OF THE SAME SEED MORE OVER IT IS BEING GIVEN ONE POCKET PER FARMER WHICH HARDLY COVER LESS THAN ACRE OF SOWING HENCE IT IS ONLY PAPER CLAIM NOT RELIEF, KISHOR TIWARI ADDED.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
UP Weavers - Frontline Story by Annie Zaidi Varanasi
Deprivation - Hunger and Deaths in Uttar Pradesh - The Living dead - story by Annie Zaidi, Frontline, Hindu :
...
Yet the State of Uttar Pradesh does not seem to have quite understood the connection between hunger and death. The crisis brewing in its belly, which the State has not acknowledged publicly so far, has claimed hundreds of lives already.
One of them, nine-month-old Seema, died in July 2006 at Belwa village in Varanasi district. Her grandmother Manni Musahar said they had nothing to eat and no money. Seema's mother Lakshmina tried to barter her wedding sari for grain. But before that her baby died. The sari had to be pawned anyway, for Rs.100. ...
http://www.flonnet.com/fl2406/stories/20070406002911100.htm
...
Yet the State of Uttar Pradesh does not seem to have quite understood the connection between hunger and death. The crisis brewing in its belly, which the State has not acknowledged publicly so far, has claimed hundreds of lives already.
One of them, nine-month-old Seema, died in July 2006 at Belwa village in Varanasi district. Her grandmother Manni Musahar said they had nothing to eat and no money. Seema's mother Lakshmina tried to barter her wedding sari for grain. But before that her baby died. The sari had to be pawned anyway, for Rs.100. ...
http://www.flonnet.com/fl2406/stories/20070406002911100.htm
Mangala Shivaji Betwar - Letter to ManMohan Singh
(THIS IS TRANSLATION OF LETTER OF ONE OF WIDOWS HAS WRITTEN TO INDIAN PRIME MINISTER FOR HELP)
To,
Dr. Man Mohan Singh,
Indian Prime Minister, Government of India
New Delhi-1100011
REF : YOUR HEALING TOUCH TO VIDARBHA FARM WIDOWS IS MISSING
SUB : PLEASE ARRANGE TO SAVE VIDARBHA FARM WIDOWS
Respected sir,
1. My husband Shivaji Betwar of Kelapur in Yavatmal district, Maharashtra, had killed himself by hanging to tree in August of last year after your announcement of package and you specially asked District Collector to give healing touch to farm widows of west Vidarbha.
Please see this photo below :
He was a cotton farmer, and he was forced to commit suicide as local bankers Bank of Maharashtra, Pahapal branch had failed to give him crop loan even though he was not defaulter.
2. Then since after the his sad death, I was told by local administration that as per promise made by you, the relief aid will be given to me as I have two small kids one age 4 and other age 7. After the death of my husband, nobody is there to look after me here at my in laws place. Nobody is there to look after our land too.
3. To day local Tahsildar has told me that Yavatmal District Collector has rejected my case as there was no crop loan, against by husband's name when he committed suicide. It was matter of surprise that when local bank has not given us loan and credit crunch has been reason of distress to commit suicide, I am being refused the compensation.
4. In order to avoid my kid's starvation, I went back to my mother's place in Andhra Pradesh mandal Besa in Adilabad district. But it was very difficult for them to feed my family as my brother is farm labor and I was forced to return back to dead husband's place in Maharashtra.
PRAYER :
Dear Prime Minister, it has been very difficult to live in these pathetic condition where as babus in local administration have not giving any help to me, I am writing to you that after your Vidarbha visit more than 1000 Farm Widows compensation claims have been rejected, in order to show the effect of your package, that suicides have declined, and we are innocent victims of your administrative politics.
You are kindly requested to save my small kids and help me.
Yours sincerely,
MANGALA SHIVAJI BETWAR
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
2007 - Mass BT Cotton Sowing in Vidarbha
VJAS Demands BT Cotton Sowing Intervention Vidarbha
VJAS DEMANDS BAN ON Bt. COTTON BOLLGARD - II IN VIDARBHA :
After the landmark mass sowing permission, by GEAC in June 2005, for Bt Cotton in Vidarbha, more than 2230 cotton farmers suicides have been reported and govt. of maharashtra has compensated cotton growers Rs. 219 core and Rs. 210 crore in the year 2005-2006 and year 2006-2007 for the failure of Bt.cotton in rain fed area of Vidarbha.
Maharashtra govt. has on record admitted that Bt. Cotton has failed in rain fed areas of Vidarbha, whereas 95% area of vidarbha is rain fed.
Now Bt.cotton seeds manufacturing, American company, has introduced Bollgard - II.
For promoting the Bt cotton seeds in Vidarbha, the company, with an elaborate network of Indian seed distributors and dealers, has started its high profile advertising campaign, backed by credit incentives - that it is highly profitable and gives minimum 11 quintal productive yield, where as according to govt. of maharashtra official report the cotton average yield has been dropped down from 120 kg per acre to hardly 50 kg per acre after introduction of Bt.cotton in vidarbha.
The advertising slogan catch line is "your farming, your profits"....
The claims made by the Monsanto company were patently fraudulent, as cotton growers pesticide uses was not dropped down where cotton output was drastically effected resulting mass suicides of cotton farmers in Vidarbha, Kishor tiwari added.
The Indian government is more busy at this time setting its cricket team into good shape for the next World Cup rather than rectifying the wrong decisions of GEAC regarding poor judgement in cropping and sowing patterns in Indian agriculture as a whole.
What a mockery of an Agriculture Ministry.
Total Failure of Rural health care support system, employment and social cum civil administration are the main reasons of farmer's suicides in west vidarbha.
Dr. Sudhir Goyal, IAS, who is Relief Commissionor, and implementing prime minister package himself has asked Indian govt. that low cost sustainable farming is only solution of stop these suicides.
The officials are more busy trying to show that there is no agrarian distress on Indian farms.
Ban on Bt. Cotton and chemical farming is need of hour, and cotton farmers should cultivate there than cotton should the programme of the state the official further demands. Restoration secondary systems like rural employment, health is also needed to stop these on going suicides but nobody is acting in this direction more over misleading press releases are adding fuel to extremely critical situation in vidarbha, as per Kishor Tiwari of VJAS.
VJAS DEMANDS BAN ON Bt. COTTON BOLLGARD - II IN VIDARBHA :
After the landmark mass sowing permission, by GEAC in June 2005, for Bt Cotton in Vidarbha, more than 2230 cotton farmers suicides have been reported and govt. of maharashtra has compensated cotton growers Rs. 219 core and Rs. 210 crore in the year 2005-2006 and year 2006-2007 for the failure of Bt.cotton in rain fed area of Vidarbha.
Maharashtra govt. has on record admitted that Bt. Cotton has failed in rain fed areas of Vidarbha, whereas 95% area of vidarbha is rain fed.
Now Bt.cotton seeds manufacturing, American company, has introduced Bollgard - II.
For promoting the Bt cotton seeds in Vidarbha, the company, with an elaborate network of Indian seed distributors and dealers, has started its high profile advertising campaign, backed by credit incentives - that it is highly profitable and gives minimum 11 quintal productive yield, where as according to govt. of maharashtra official report the cotton average yield has been dropped down from 120 kg per acre to hardly 50 kg per acre after introduction of Bt.cotton in vidarbha.
The advertising slogan catch line is "your farming, your profits"....
The claims made by the Monsanto company were patently fraudulent, as cotton growers pesticide uses was not dropped down where cotton output was drastically effected resulting mass suicides of cotton farmers in Vidarbha, Kishor tiwari added.
The Indian government is more busy at this time setting its cricket team into good shape for the next World Cup rather than rectifying the wrong decisions of GEAC regarding poor judgement in cropping and sowing patterns in Indian agriculture as a whole.
What a mockery of an Agriculture Ministry.
Total Failure of Rural health care support system, employment and social cum civil administration are the main reasons of farmer's suicides in west vidarbha.
Dr. Sudhir Goyal, IAS, who is Relief Commissionor, and implementing prime minister package himself has asked Indian govt. that low cost sustainable farming is only solution of stop these suicides.
The officials are more busy trying to show that there is no agrarian distress on Indian farms.
Ban on Bt. Cotton and chemical farming is need of hour, and cotton farmers should cultivate there than cotton should the programme of the state the official further demands. Restoration secondary systems like rural employment, health is also needed to stop these on going suicides but nobody is acting in this direction more over misleading press releases are adding fuel to extremely critical situation in vidarbha, as per Kishor Tiwari of VJAS.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Farewell Note of Vidarbha GM Cotton Farmer
LAST SAY OF VIDARBHA COTTON FARMER TO WORLD
(This is suicide note, copy is attached herewith, of cotton farmer GOVINDA JUNGHARE age 55, of village METTIKHEDA, in YAVATMAL District in VIDARBHA (India) who committed suicide on 10th April 2007 after Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh's well advertised Vidarbha package for distressed Indian farmers.
Land of Snake Charmers dressed up as Politicians ? )
To,
Police Station Officer,
Police Station,
Wadgoan,
I humbly submit that applicant Govinda Zeetruji Junghare at Post Mettikheda, Taluka Kalamb, District Yavatmal, the home state of Indian Agriculture and Cricket Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar.
Subject : My family shocked as farm land is without being sowing any crop. How can we live without doing farming ?
I have no bullock for farming my land.
I have no money for seed, what is to be done ?
I can not think more. Money lenders are daily coming to my home and abusing me. I tried to arrange to money to repay but I could not arrange the money to repay my loans.
I did apply for crop loan case in bank but banker too has not given me the money yet.
Money Leander has threatened me to arrange the money otherwise they will take away tinplates fitted to my house.
But I am not having five paisa today how can I repay my loan.
I think over this crisis, lot of time and then decided, I should die instead of living.
Should I hang myself or take poison to die ?
Money Leander REKHA NAMDEO NIKHADE'S debt RS. 5000/- has a quarrel with me and manager of money Lender Nurru Seth is always coming to my house, asking for RS. 4000/- to pay back. This has made me mad.
No banker has given me the loan.
I have my wife, two son, and marriageable daughter, and how to do daughter's marriage.
I have no money at home, one son is critically ill and suffering from T.B.
Nobody, including police and politicians, should trouble my family, hence I have written this letter in detail.
Yours faithfully,
Shri Govinda Zeetruji Junghare
Vidarbha, Maharashtra,
( Home State of Indian Cricket Minister )
(This is suicide note, copy is attached herewith, of cotton farmer GOVINDA JUNGHARE age 55, of village METTIKHEDA, in YAVATMAL District in VIDARBHA (India) who committed suicide on 10th April 2007 after Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh's well advertised Vidarbha package for distressed Indian farmers.
Land of Snake Charmers dressed up as Politicians ? )
To,
Police Station Officer,
Police Station,
Wadgoan,
I humbly submit that applicant Govinda Zeetruji Junghare at Post Mettikheda, Taluka Kalamb, District Yavatmal, the home state of Indian Agriculture and Cricket Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar.
Subject : My family shocked as farm land is without being sowing any crop. How can we live without doing farming ?
I have no bullock for farming my land.
I have no money for seed, what is to be done ?
I can not think more. Money lenders are daily coming to my home and abusing me. I tried to arrange to money to repay but I could not arrange the money to repay my loans.
I did apply for crop loan case in bank but banker too has not given me the money yet.
Money Leander has threatened me to arrange the money otherwise they will take away tinplates fitted to my house.
But I am not having five paisa today how can I repay my loan.
I think over this crisis, lot of time and then decided, I should die instead of living.
Should I hang myself or take poison to die ?
Money Leander REKHA NAMDEO NIKHADE'S debt RS. 5000/- has a quarrel with me and manager of money Lender Nurru Seth is always coming to my house, asking for RS. 4000/- to pay back. This has made me mad.
No banker has given me the loan.
I have my wife, two son, and marriageable daughter, and how to do daughter's marriage.
I have no money at home, one son is critically ill and suffering from T.B.
Nobody, including police and politicians, should trouble my family, hence I have written this letter in detail.
Yours faithfully,
Shri Govinda Zeetruji Junghare
Vidarbha, Maharashtra,
( Home State of Indian Cricket Minister )
Monday, March 19, 2007
Public Function for Vidarbha Widows
German women aid given to Vidarbha farm widows :
Pandharkawada (India), March 17:
Today in very largely attended public function (see photo)to give German women aid to vidarbha farm widows held in small town pandharkawada in yavatmal district of vidarbha(India) in which most venerable widows who are facing starvation have given the relief aid .the function was orgnised by pandharkawada civic body president anil tiwari in local agrasen bhavan was attended by all social and political workers of all parties.
Kumar Roy and Shibani Bhattacharya Indian counter part of Indienhilfe e.V., a voluntary organisation based in Herrsching, have disbursed the amount.
Courageous and spirited stories told by widows, publicly, to keep the life alive was main attraction of the function.
This time, the helping hand has come from across the oceans, from Germany, for the distressed widows of farmers in Vidarbha, the region of Maharashtra in the grip of a severe agrarian crisis.
The readers of a Munich-based daily sent in financial contributions for helping women after reading about their plight in a series of stories carried by the newspaper.
The amount representing the total collection is to be handed over to the women at a brief function to be held in Pandharkawda in this district on Saturday.
Karin Steinberger, a correspondent of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, a leading German newspaper, toured Vidarbha in December 2006 for a closer look at the agrarian crisis and the plight of the widows of debt-ridden farmers, who committed suicide.
Moved by Ms. Steinberger's articles, several readers remitted money to the newspaper's office, asking it to be sent to the widows. The total collection was the equivalent of Rs1. 5 lakhs.
However, the money could not be sent to India directly because of legal restrictions on remittance of foreign exchange, until Indienhilfe e.V., a voluntary organisation based in Herrsching, stepped in.
Kishor Tiwari, local farm activist of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti was the chief guest of the this function and urged all farm widows to change the agrarian crisis in to prosperity whole world is with, we will appeal the all international community to stand along with you in this days of distress. No widows have become sex worker till date and it will not happen in future too.
Vidarbha farm widows are the highly respected like war widows in this maharashtra ,we condemn the media campaign to malign the image of vidarbha farm widows as turning be sex workers, Kishor Tiwari informed gathering with grate pain.
However some sections of Indian media are bent on attracting sensational headlines, doing investigative journalism, looking for spicy headlines, without any compassion.
This section of media is choosing to put farm widows in the dock rather than the agriculture policy makers.
Pandharkawada (India), March 17:
Today in very largely attended public function (see photo)to give German women aid to vidarbha farm widows held in small town pandharkawada in yavatmal district of vidarbha(India) in which most venerable widows who are facing starvation have given the relief aid .the function was orgnised by pandharkawada civic body president anil tiwari in local agrasen bhavan was attended by all social and political workers of all parties.
Kumar Roy and Shibani Bhattacharya Indian counter part of Indienhilfe e.V., a voluntary organisation based in Herrsching, have disbursed the amount.
Courageous and spirited stories told by widows, publicly, to keep the life alive was main attraction of the function.
This time, the helping hand has come from across the oceans, from Germany, for the distressed widows of farmers in Vidarbha, the region of Maharashtra in the grip of a severe agrarian crisis.
The readers of a Munich-based daily sent in financial contributions for helping women after reading about their plight in a series of stories carried by the newspaper.
The amount representing the total collection is to be handed over to the women at a brief function to be held in Pandharkawda in this district on Saturday.
Karin Steinberger, a correspondent of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, a leading German newspaper, toured Vidarbha in December 2006 for a closer look at the agrarian crisis and the plight of the widows of debt-ridden farmers, who committed suicide.
Moved by Ms. Steinberger's articles, several readers remitted money to the newspaper's office, asking it to be sent to the widows. The total collection was the equivalent of Rs1. 5 lakhs.
However, the money could not be sent to India directly because of legal restrictions on remittance of foreign exchange, until Indienhilfe e.V., a voluntary organisation based in Herrsching, stepped in.
Kishor Tiwari, local farm activist of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti was the chief guest of the this function and urged all farm widows to change the agrarian crisis in to prosperity whole world is with, we will appeal the all international community to stand along with you in this days of distress. No widows have become sex worker till date and it will not happen in future too.
Vidarbha farm widows are the highly respected like war widows in this maharashtra ,we condemn the media campaign to malign the image of vidarbha farm widows as turning be sex workers, Kishor Tiwari informed gathering with grate pain.
However some sections of Indian media are bent on attracting sensational headlines, doing investigative journalism, looking for spicy headlines, without any compassion.
This section of media is choosing to put farm widows in the dock rather than the agriculture policy makers.
Friday, March 16, 2007
German Women Join Hands With Vidarbha Widows
The readers of a leading German ( Deutsche )news paper, "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" have given relief aid to Vidarbha Farm Widows.
They were moved by Karin Steinberger's article based on the struggle of farm widows, after the suicide of their farmer husbands, when local Maharashtra govt. turned blind eye towards the plights of these widows.
This amount was collected by news paper "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" was transferred to INDENHILFE, an NGO working for the Indian people.
Their Kolkatta base office is arranging a function for Relief Aid disbursement at Pandharkawada in Yavatmal district of Vidarbha, Maharashtra in India on 17th March. INDIENHILIFE office in charge, Kumar Roy and Shibani Bhattacharya have been touring in rural part of Vidarbha to identify the widows who are working hard to save the surviving family, from agrarian crisis.
Karin Steinberger, is with the German news paper, "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" since 2000, writing features from all over the world, but most of stories are from rural parts of India. This article was based on the hardships faced by Farm Widows of Vidarbha and their "struggle to remain live", without any meaningful and coordinated government aid.
It was published in 2006, and the article has been read by the thousand of readers in Germany, but relief aid programme, has just coincidently matched with the timing when one of Indian media, TV news channels, has been running a premeditated campaign, to run fabricated stories of Farm widows and has been evoking very strong response from Vidarbha and all over the world.
This German relief aid distribution programme, will boost morale of these farm widows, at last, after the sheer apathy of local Congress and NCP government, and top local bureaucrats of Maharashtra, who are more interested in book keeping and making media statements, debating the reasons for farm suicides in cotton belt of Vidarbha.
They were moved by Karin Steinberger's article based on the struggle of farm widows, after the suicide of their farmer husbands, when local Maharashtra govt. turned blind eye towards the plights of these widows.
This amount was collected by news paper "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" was transferred to INDENHILFE, an NGO working for the Indian people.
Their Kolkatta base office is arranging a function for Relief Aid disbursement at Pandharkawada in Yavatmal district of Vidarbha, Maharashtra in India on 17th March. INDIENHILIFE office in charge, Kumar Roy and Shibani Bhattacharya have been touring in rural part of Vidarbha to identify the widows who are working hard to save the surviving family, from agrarian crisis.
Karin Steinberger, is with the German news paper, "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" since 2000, writing features from all over the world, but most of stories are from rural parts of India. This article was based on the hardships faced by Farm Widows of Vidarbha and their "struggle to remain live", without any meaningful and coordinated government aid.
It was published in 2006, and the article has been read by the thousand of readers in Germany, but relief aid programme, has just coincidently matched with the timing when one of Indian media, TV news channels, has been running a premeditated campaign, to run fabricated stories of Farm widows and has been evoking very strong response from Vidarbha and all over the world.
This German relief aid distribution programme, will boost morale of these farm widows, at last, after the sheer apathy of local Congress and NCP government, and top local bureaucrats of Maharashtra, who are more interested in book keeping and making media statements, debating the reasons for farm suicides in cotton belt of Vidarbha.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Ten Minutes For Me Too Mr Chidambaram
- Gita, with her 4 month old kid
KOPA MANDAVI VISIT of VJAS - GITA WANTS ANSWERS FROM the Wise People of SOCIETY
Kishor Tiwari visited KopaMandvi, yet another village on National Highway no.7
"I was shocked to look at pathetic condition of 23 year widow of Sharvan Chichodkar, a Vidarbha cotton farmer, who committed suicide.
She asked "who killed my husband?"
Gita narrated .. "It was constant worry of family debt and food starvation, that forced him to kill himself.
After Sharvan, nobody is there to look after me.
I will have to feed my kid and old father in laws.
We are fed up with this crisis."..
Sharvan is third farmer suicide in KopaMandvi.
More than 100 farm suicides in this belt in last 4 years.
All GM cotton growers in Vidarbha are in debt, as per Shri Kishor Tiwari of VJAS.
Indian Finance Minister, Shri Chidambaram, had high profile photos and media coverage with top Indian industrialists, like Ratan Tata, on eve of Congress 2007 Budget. He did not have even 10 minutes to spare for debt ridden and suicidal Vidarbha cotton farmers, as he was too busy putting final touches to the Sensex Budget in New Delhi.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Daughters of Vidarbha
Daughters of Vidarbha - Whose responsibility ?
While India Makes Record Cotton Exports to United States of America. Who is benefiting from WTO ?
Friday, February 23, 2007
Three Widows
The Tale of Three Indian Widows :
Savita, Sunita and Pratibha are three women from different contexts, background and age groups, yet engulfed by the continuing tragedy that plays out in Maharashtra. The number of widows is growing at a frightening speed in the cotton country. Jaideep Hardikar reports.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2007/feb/agr-widows.htm
The most senior Indian bureaucrats and politicians, continue to deny any agricultural emergency in Indian rural areas, that calls for their attention.
Some IAS Relief Commissioners, are waxing eloquent on farmer's folly, in pursuing high cost cultivation practices in un irrigated parts of India, while some IAS bureaucrats are issuing mental insanity certificates to suicidal farmers as "sirfira". The Indian story of bureaucratic incompetence is tragi comic.
The Sensex Minister is following the bears and the bulls closely, while the Cricket Minister is celebrating the return to form of Saurav Ganguly in Indian cricket.
Savita, Sunita and Pratibha are three women from different contexts, background and age groups, yet engulfed by the continuing tragedy that plays out in Maharashtra. The number of widows is growing at a frightening speed in the cotton country. Jaideep Hardikar reports.
http://www.indiatogether.org/2007/feb/agr-widows.htm
The most senior Indian bureaucrats and politicians, continue to deny any agricultural emergency in Indian rural areas, that calls for their attention.
Some IAS Relief Commissioners, are waxing eloquent on farmer's folly, in pursuing high cost cultivation practices in un irrigated parts of India, while some IAS bureaucrats are issuing mental insanity certificates to suicidal farmers as "sirfira". The Indian story of bureaucratic incompetence is tragi comic.
The Sensex Minister is following the bears and the bulls closely, while the Cricket Minister is celebrating the return to form of Saurav Ganguly in Indian cricket.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Collecting Rural Women Narratives
As of now, there are no rural narratives of wives and daughters of suicidal farmers up on the blog :
http://www.zubani.blogspot.com/
Some people have offered to collect some of the narratives. One hopes there can be many more people who begin to collect them, translate them to English, and to other languages, and put them up on the Internet and build up the the Zubani Blog as a resource for all who are concerned and affected.
The process of collecting narratives, is absolutely open and will continue to be so for many years, because one can see no end to more and more such narratives. There is no concept of an editor for these narratives.
Everyone who contributes, is a self moderated editor. We will keep learning from the narratives, and hopefully these narratives will point a way forward for the future of science and technology innovations, sustainability and creativity, in Indian farming and agriculture and indeed rural life, in coming years.
Anyone with basic Internet access, can post the narratives, from anywhere in India. Feel free to experiment, and there is no need to be afraid of anyone on this earth.
Without fearlessness and without openness there is no future. Find your inspiration from these women and daughters, whose husbands have consumed a can of pesticides, and left them alone, to fend for themselves, and everyone will begin to ask questions of themselves.
What are we doing, Where are we going ? Are our actions of any help to those who are living in the villages of India ?
http://www.zubani.blogspot.com/
Some people have offered to collect some of the narratives. One hopes there can be many more people who begin to collect them, translate them to English, and to other languages, and put them up on the Internet and build up the the Zubani Blog as a resource for all who are concerned and affected.
The process of collecting narratives, is absolutely open and will continue to be so for many years, because one can see no end to more and more such narratives. There is no concept of an editor for these narratives.
Everyone who contributes, is a self moderated editor. We will keep learning from the narratives, and hopefully these narratives will point a way forward for the future of science and technology innovations, sustainability and creativity, in Indian farming and agriculture and indeed rural life, in coming years.
Anyone with basic Internet access, can post the narratives, from anywhere in India. Feel free to experiment, and there is no need to be afraid of anyone on this earth.
Without fearlessness and without openness there is no future. Find your inspiration from these women and daughters, whose husbands have consumed a can of pesticides, and left them alone, to fend for themselves, and everyone will begin to ask questions of themselves.
What are we doing, Where are we going ? Are our actions of any help to those who are living in the villages of India ?
Monday, February 12, 2007
Chidambaram Eyes For Sensex Only
It seems Shri Chidambaram, Indian Finance Minister, has made up his mind.
He and the Congress, have no time for even listening to the complaints of the suicidal cotton farmers of Vidarbha, much less, addressing the issue of the siphoning of agricultural surplus from Indian villages.
Now the question is whether this neglect of Indian farmers by the central Congress government, will have any political impact on the image, of Shrimati Sonia Gandhi amongst rural voters or not. In the short run it certainly will not. The mood of the voters shows that she is still considered the rahanuma of the Indian villages.
Kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha JanAndolan Samiti is returning empty handed to Vidarbha after not even being considered for a meeting with Shri Chidambaram. Apparently, Shri Chidambaram is busier attracting European pension funds to invest in Indian stock markets rather than responding to the mental health of farmers in the cotton belts of India.
He does have a point too though. After all India needs to emulate China in a very short time and this is the economic model being vigourously pursued by the Oxbridge economists in charge of economic policy making. Moreover, he feels he really does not have any role to play in addressing the situation of Indian farmers and the rising debt levels.
Yes, of course, when Shri Sharad Pawar is looking after the Agriculture Ministry and taking care of the sugar farmers, why should Shri Chidambaram feel the need to open his mouth. His remit is the IRS bureaucracy, the stock markets and providing funds for 6 lanes highways to run from the southern ports to the rural hinterland in the north. He has to merely point out the figures of investment in rural infrastructure and leave the rest to Shri Pawar to take care of.
Shri Sharad Pawar is of course busy trying to reconcile the impossible conflict, in his dual role as Agriculture Minister of India and seeing if Indian farmers are able to sell their produce in the market, and buying food for urban consumers in southern India at the cheapest prices, in his role as a Food Minister of India. He surely has a tough job and when one considers that he also has the unenviable tasks of justifying the high levels of pesticides in the milk that Indian mothers have to feed to their children, and backing the return to form of Saurav Ganguly in Indian cricket, one cannot but feel that such immense responsibilities are being thrust at him. How will he cope with all of these roles ?
At least someone must rise to the ocassion and come to the rescue of Shri Sharad Pawar as he juggles between his various important roles in the central government.
And who else will it be if not the suicidal farmers of Vidarbha ?
Maybe the farmers of Vidarbha, have to repay many debts of past lives, to Shri Sharad Pawar and they have to do it in this lifetime.
So who is going to foot the electoral bill in the next elections ? Yes this will surely begin to cause sleepless nights for some of the people in Congress circles who are well connected with the rural mood.
He and the Congress, have no time for even listening to the complaints of the suicidal cotton farmers of Vidarbha, much less, addressing the issue of the siphoning of agricultural surplus from Indian villages.
Now the question is whether this neglect of Indian farmers by the central Congress government, will have any political impact on the image, of Shrimati Sonia Gandhi amongst rural voters or not. In the short run it certainly will not. The mood of the voters shows that she is still considered the rahanuma of the Indian villages.
Kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha JanAndolan Samiti is returning empty handed to Vidarbha after not even being considered for a meeting with Shri Chidambaram. Apparently, Shri Chidambaram is busier attracting European pension funds to invest in Indian stock markets rather than responding to the mental health of farmers in the cotton belts of India.
He does have a point too though. After all India needs to emulate China in a very short time and this is the economic model being vigourously pursued by the Oxbridge economists in charge of economic policy making. Moreover, he feels he really does not have any role to play in addressing the situation of Indian farmers and the rising debt levels.
Yes, of course, when Shri Sharad Pawar is looking after the Agriculture Ministry and taking care of the sugar farmers, why should Shri Chidambaram feel the need to open his mouth. His remit is the IRS bureaucracy, the stock markets and providing funds for 6 lanes highways to run from the southern ports to the rural hinterland in the north. He has to merely point out the figures of investment in rural infrastructure and leave the rest to Shri Pawar to take care of.
Shri Sharad Pawar is of course busy trying to reconcile the impossible conflict, in his dual role as Agriculture Minister of India and seeing if Indian farmers are able to sell their produce in the market, and buying food for urban consumers in southern India at the cheapest prices, in his role as a Food Minister of India. He surely has a tough job and when one considers that he also has the unenviable tasks of justifying the high levels of pesticides in the milk that Indian mothers have to feed to their children, and backing the return to form of Saurav Ganguly in Indian cricket, one cannot but feel that such immense responsibilities are being thrust at him. How will he cope with all of these roles ?
At least someone must rise to the ocassion and come to the rescue of Shri Sharad Pawar as he juggles between his various important roles in the central government.
And who else will it be if not the suicidal farmers of Vidarbha ?
Maybe the farmers of Vidarbha, have to repay many debts of past lives, to Shri Sharad Pawar and they have to do it in this lifetime.
So who is going to foot the electoral bill in the next elections ? Yes this will surely begin to cause sleepless nights for some of the people in Congress circles who are well connected with the rural mood.
Why Zubani ? Indian rural narratives of women
The idea for this blog came up in the course of some discussions regarding what women - the wives and the daughters - of the farmers, who are committing suicides, in the cotton belt of India of Vidarbha, Maharashtra, are thinking.
Priya of Samanvaya, Chennai has been involved with a campaign of email updates regarding the farmer suicides in Maharashtra.
In the course of the discussions, we wondered, that if and when, the dust of arguments, rhetoric, politics settles down, who is facing the world with blank uncomprehending eyes ?
No proud farmer of rural India deliberately wants to be a delinquent debtor. No Indian farmer wants to die without repaying all his accumulated debts.
However he has been pushed into disasters due to a failure of economic policy.
The Indian economic policies with respect to agriculture, are nothing other than a disguised exit policy and a tool for sucking surplus for subsidizing industry.
For large masses of Indian farming populations, the present and the future is bleak.
Even though India is a democracy, the Indian farmer, and rural populations, fail to find a voice in policy making, as New Delhi and Mumbai, pursue a course of economic restructuring of epic proportions, driven by the desire to benefit from globalization and the need to respond to the threat from China, US, Europe.
Large scale economic restructuring is unleashing large social displacement and rural distress.
The farmer of course - the husbands and the fathers - who committed suicide by drinking a can of pesticides, and was able to manage to relieve himself of the mental burden of financial debt and the daily verbal torture of debtors, and money lenders.
But it is the rural women of India who are unable to comprehend that Indian economic policies are making agriculture unviable for the farmer who is solely dependant on rural incomes.
It is these women of India, reduced to a sorry state, from divine Shakthi and the Rani of Jhansi invocations, who are left alone in the wake of these powerful market forces and economic policies of Indian urban led growth policies without social security.
It is the women, the daughters and the wives, who will pay the price of the debacle of Indian farming and disguised exit policy.
This is an attempt to collect some of the rural narratives of some such women, the powerless Shakthi, who does not have the power to slap the errant people in the face, as shown in the TV soaps, that are the staple of Indian middle class and upper classes, solely preoccupied by the return to form of Saurav Ganguly, the get rich quick questions of Shah Rukh Khan and the unending rise of the Indian sensex.
Priya of Samanvaya, Chennai has been involved with a campaign of email updates regarding the farmer suicides in Maharashtra.
In the course of the discussions, we wondered, that if and when, the dust of arguments, rhetoric, politics settles down, who is facing the world with blank uncomprehending eyes ?
No proud farmer of rural India deliberately wants to be a delinquent debtor. No Indian farmer wants to die without repaying all his accumulated debts.
However he has been pushed into disasters due to a failure of economic policy.
The Indian economic policies with respect to agriculture, are nothing other than a disguised exit policy and a tool for sucking surplus for subsidizing industry.
For large masses of Indian farming populations, the present and the future is bleak.
Even though India is a democracy, the Indian farmer, and rural populations, fail to find a voice in policy making, as New Delhi and Mumbai, pursue a course of economic restructuring of epic proportions, driven by the desire to benefit from globalization and the need to respond to the threat from China, US, Europe.
Large scale economic restructuring is unleashing large social displacement and rural distress.
The farmer of course - the husbands and the fathers - who committed suicide by drinking a can of pesticides, and was able to manage to relieve himself of the mental burden of financial debt and the daily verbal torture of debtors, and money lenders.
But it is the rural women of India who are unable to comprehend that Indian economic policies are making agriculture unviable for the farmer who is solely dependant on rural incomes.
It is these women of India, reduced to a sorry state, from divine Shakthi and the Rani of Jhansi invocations, who are left alone in the wake of these powerful market forces and economic policies of Indian urban led growth policies without social security.
It is the women, the daughters and the wives, who will pay the price of the debacle of Indian farming and disguised exit policy.
This is an attempt to collect some of the rural narratives of some such women, the powerless Shakthi, who does not have the power to slap the errant people in the face, as shown in the TV soaps, that are the staple of Indian middle class and upper classes, solely preoccupied by the return to form of Saurav Ganguly, the get rich quick questions of Shah Rukh Khan and the unending rise of the Indian sensex.
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