WHAT THE FARMERS NEED – PART X - GOOD GOVERNMENT POLICIES

As per Irrigation Commission, 36 Irrigation Projects are pending for final approval.

One Project since 2004
10 Projects since 2005
4 Projects since 2006
6 Projects since 2007
8 Projects since 2008
6 Projects since 2009 &
1 since 2010 

As on date 54 Projects are pending for final approval with Revenue, Central Govt & State Govt!

As per Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) 10 more Thermal Power Projects have obtained water allotment from Wardha River and 15 more are in the waiting list and in total near about 85 to 89 Private Thermal Power Projects are in the pipeline for Chief Minister’s approval.

Vs.
13 Irrigation Projects in Vidarbha have been stalled. State Govt has failed to remove Irrigation Backlog of the region since the last 30 years. Irrigation canals connected with Wardha River are still under construction even after 24 years.

Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan supports the New thermal Power Projects but for Irrigation Infrastructure, he declares 13 Member Committee to give reports after proper survey (this committee will never provide the real ground problems of the farmers and irrigation infrastructure will remain as it is... after all, in December 2010, he declared 1000 Crore AID for crop failures due to unseasonal rain last year... so far, no one knows what has happened to that 1000 crore. Has it travelled all the way to Swiss Bank or travelled to the 10 Janpath in Delhi. The Poor farmers as usual are once again sidelined while the rich corporate companies get Thums Up from CM...

The NATIONAL WATER POLICY has not been amended since 1st April 2002 (I will post India's Water Policy in my next post), in which information are assessed as per 1993... now Khurshid Alam, Union Minister Water Resources said it would be drafted shortly, that shortly means God only knows...

Government policies are so wonderful that every year as per the Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, India has the audacity to allow food grains worth 58,000 crores (official figure, so one can definitely add another 150 to 200 % to get the real figures) to rot in open air godowns. Such is the callousness of the ruling government, mainly Congress, not forgetting the BJP too, that no one really cares, be it in the Planning Commission, National Advisory Committee or State Planning Commission – NO ONE, I repeat NO ONE has or is bothered to save such huge wastage of food grains when the nation is on the top spot for malnourished deaths in the world. No one has ever bothered to create or build enough FCI Godowns to safeguard the food grains that our poor farmers grow sweating in hot sun, high & low temperatures and heavy rains... the heights of height is that FCI Godowns are leased to liquor traders (in Punjab & Haryana) to store their liquor while food grains rot in the open.

I have discussed various points in my earlier post under the series – WHAT THE FARMERS NEED and they all reflect the callousness of the ruling government policies... policies that instead of benefitting the poor farmers are in fact forcing them to quit farming or to the edge where they have no option but to succumb to suicide. From shortage of seeds, pesticides & fertilizer during sowing season to Minimum Support Price in buying the produce to safeguarding precious food grains from allowing them (on purpose to benefit the kith & kin of politicians to make liquor) to rot to export policies to importing trend to PDS to market lobby control and well... there is simply no end...

Even MGNREGAS have gulped down so many billions from the poor that one is surprised that why the hell they draft and plan such policies... poor villagers are being killed, their houses burned to ashes, their women raped by police, men are shot and brutalised to the core and all these are happening because of the State’s Ruling... their fertile lands are grabbed in the name of economic development and each time false GDP rate are announced to show to the world that India is gunning to become the Super Power of the world! Such ridiculous claim and wonder of wonders, all the urban so-called educated population believe this BIG LIE! While a farmer from Karnataka Shammanna Nayak, Oilanala Village, Karnataka  says – “I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I read reports on India being vibrant and going to establish itself as a super power. How can a country hope to become powerful when farm lands are fast disappearing in the name of economic reforms?” I find this man to be the real educated Indian rather than all the urban people, who are just worried about their next salary, next party and next Friday release.

When the citizen sleep so deep, but obvious even the government will behave in an arrogant manner. All the austerity drive has gone to dogs as everyone is busy looting the nation and depositing money in Swiss Banks...

What the Farmers Need? Well, no one really bothers in reality!

... to be continued...