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Since 2008, I have been involved with the farmers' community's crisis in the nation... first as a concerned blogger and since March 2010 as an active student to do something good for the farmers' community... as I started the one-man-crusade movement - "support 4 suicide farmers families" on the 12th of March 2010...
I have been listening to the radio, reading newspapers and magazines from my early childhood and when the the television revolution set in... I have been watching it on a regular basis... however, since April 2010, I have quit watching television as my concentration was more to work for the farmers' community in the Vidarbha Region of Maharastra. On the 12th of March this year, the movement will be completing its two years... and for the very first time, I am glad to inform one and all, all across the globe that the movement has achieved one of the first big achievements!
Perhaps for the very first time in the history of agrarian crisis of India, Members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, which toured various places in Vidarbha have come to the conclusion (in its reports) that the Prime Minister's Relief Package of Rs. 7,500 Crore (Billion) aimed at mitigating the woes of farmers, has failed miserably in its objective and the agriculture still persists. It is for the very first time that a government committee has stated most of the points mentioned and written in my series - WHAT THE FARMERS NEED! - started on the 5th of February 2011 (Please read the link given below):
The Committee head by Mr. Basudeb Acharia (Chairman of the panel) stated that there is no end to the problems faced by farmers. They have to face odds at all levels, from finding labourers to till the land, getting quality seeds, fertilizers at reasonable prices, irrigation facility to remunerative prices to their produce. The farmers are squeezed at all levels. Wages of farmers have gone up. Despite this, there is shortage of them. It is difficult to get quality seeds in the market. Prices of fertilizers, sprinklers and other farm inputs have gone through the roof. There is no water to irrigate the farm and even now, most of the farmers depend on monsoon rains. The sword of delay in rains, excess or scanty rainfall, always keep hanging over their heads. If the crop is good after facing so many difficulties, there is no guarantee of them getting good price because of manipulation of prices by market today.
Because of all these, small farmers are finding it difficult to make a living. Cosmetic measures like announcing packages (PLEASE NOTE HERE: The 1,088 Crores Crop Damage Aid Announced by CM Prithiviraj Chavan in December 2010 has still not been disbursed to Vidarbha farmers as on date... while he has already made another Aid announcement in December 2011 worth 2,000 crores for Maharastra Farmers to shut down the farmers' protest) and loan waiver will not help. Irrigation facilities should be given a top priority. There is urgent need to address all the problems faced by the farmers one by one. Government machinery will have to be more sympathetic towards farmers.
It was indeed fortunate that when I returned from Punjab on the 4th of March, I bought the newspaper THE HITAVADA at Nagpur Station... and at home when I read the editorial... I really thanked my Sai Baba for making me to buy the newspaper, otherwise I would have missed this piece of information. All these years, no one has really taken into consideration about the farmers' needs and requirements... instead everyone quotes statistics to project the farmers' crisis. I am glad the effort to educate the system has been fruitful in the two years I have been living in Vidarbha. I do hope effective measures are taken by the State and the Central Government to look seriously into farmers' needs and requirement to end their woes at the earliest, so they can serve effectively to feed the nation.
THE SERIES: WHAT THE FARMERS NEED!
http://support4suicidefarmersfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-farmers-need-5th-feb-2011.html - 5th February 2011
http://support4suicidefarmersfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-farmers-need-i-6th-feb2011.html -- 6th February 2011
http://support4suicidefarmersfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-farmers-need-ii-8th-feb-2011-bh.html -- 8th February 2011
http://support4suicidefarmersfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-farmers-need-iii-12th-feb-2011.html -- 12th February 2011
15th February 2011
http://support4suicidefarmersfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-farmers-need-part-vi.html -- 27th March 2011
http://support4suicidefarmersfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-farmers-need-part-vii.html -- 30th March 2011
http://support4suicidefarmersfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-farmers-need-part-viii-good-msp.html - 24th May 2011
http://support4suicidefarmersfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-farmers-need-part-ix.html -- 29th May 2011
http://support4suicidefarmersfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-farmers-need-part-x-good.html -- 24th July 2011
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