<strong>By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal : India’s 60th Independence Day celebrations were marred as reports trickled today that seven more debt-trapped farmers of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra state have committed suicides.
The farmers who committed suicides were identified as: Ramrao Rathode of Markanda, Maroti Shelke of Madni & Bandu Mohale of Khandala (all three in Yavatmal district), Raju Ladake in Gramloni & Vijay Sonone of Karpa (both in Washim district), Nagorao Thul of Chagli -Kopara in Wardha district and Dilip Ramesh.
According to Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, (VJAS), Press release today with seven more suicides the total toll of farmers who have committed suicide touched 575 mark since January this year.
While thousands of Vidarbha farmers observed one day token hunger strike protest today before the Bank of Maharashtra, Pandharkawada branch, to draw the attention of local administration towards their long pending demands and get it redressed. The demands include loan waiver, restoration of procurement price of cotton to Rs. 2700/- per quintal, free health services, education services, rural employment and food security to the dying Vidarbha farmers.
Kishor Tiwari, president of VJAS, announced today that the cotton farmers will launch intensified stir from October 2, the birth anniversary Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, this year when thousands of farmers would stage a massive demonstration to press Vidarbha farmers’ main demand of higher price to raw cotton
Tiwari said Vidarbha farmers have been demanding since June 2005 that the Government of Maharashtra should restore advance bonus system to give Rs. 2700/- per quintal price to cotton.
"We will take our struggle to logical end and farmers will come out on the streets to get their long pending demands fulfilled", he asserted.
The decision of bankers not to grant fresh crop loans has put more then two million cotton farmers in a fix as money-lenders too are exploiting the situation and more and more farmers are being forced to commit suicide as they have failed to do sowing, the Press release said.
Earlier, NABARD had announced that banker will go to the door-step of every farmer to give them crop loan but in fact now they have asked bankers not to give fresh crop loan to any illegible farmer whereas farmers’ main demand of complete loan waiver has been thrown into dustbin,. It’s really unfortunate, Tiwari lamented, the release added. ([email protected]
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