Nine More Vidarbha Farmers Commit Suicides in Last 2 Days

By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
 
Bhopal : In last two days i.e. on 23rd and 24th July nine more debt-burdened distressed farmers' suicides have been reported in Vidarbha region of western Indian state of Maharashtra taking the toll to 534 since January this year.
   
According to Press release issued by Nagpur-based Kishor Tiwari, president Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, (VJAS), today the nine victims of Vidarbha agrarian crisis are: Kisan Lahe of Bharshivani in Washi district, Anand Wankhede of Tundaki in Buldhana district, Keshao Kanu Meshram of Kopara & Prabhu Pawar of Chikhali (both in Yavatmal district), Nilesh Nistane of Shidodi & Purshottam Junghare of Junana (both in Amaravati district), Tarachand Neware in Yerandi in Bhandara district, Parasram Shahgandale in Gondia district and Suresh Pawar in Umarsari in Akola district.
   
The Press release said these suicides are more critical as Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Johnny Joseph officially informed media that an amount of Rs.1,727 crore or 46 per cent of the Prime Minister financial package has been spent. The Chief Secretary admitted that out of this Rs. 825 crore has been credited as interest waiver amount on crop loans which has brought relief to 9.33 lakh families while the remaining amount of Rs.785 crore was paid to irrigation contractors.
   
It may be pointed out here that in June-July last year Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had announced a Rs  3,750-crore financial package to bail out crisis-ridden farmers in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region
   
The Press release alleged that total 97 per cent amount of relief package has gone in to the pockets of politicians and their agents and only 3 per cent amount that is merely Rs. 40 crore has been released as part of direct relief aid to two million distressed Vidarbha farmers. But the list of beneficiaries also include guardian minister and the local political leaders of the six affected districts of Vidarbha region
   
In order to show that the Prime Minister relief package is being implemented properly and is giving good results as an official policy more than 85 per cent cases of farmers' suicides are being rejected for compensation so that the Maharashtra Government could claim that farmers' suicides due to agrarian reason have come down.
   
"This is mental illness of Relief Commissioner Dr. Sudhir Goyal and "babus" in local administration who need special treatments of their own distress management", Tiwari charged.
   
VJAS has urged the administration to stop rejection of farmers' suicides cases for compensation claims only to show statistical figures that suicides due to agrarian crisis are coming down.
   
"It would be very difficult for the administration to face it's failure when we will arrange all details of all the 1000 farmers' suicides cases rejected by the local administration when the Indian Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh visits Vidarbha, Tiwari warned.
   
Meanwhile, according to an agency report the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to evolve a formula or a package for farmers of Vidarbha region, which is reeling under a severe agrarian crises.
   
The order was passed yesterday by a division bench of Justices Dilip Sinha and Bhushan Dharmadhikari in response to a PIL filed by VJAS.
   
"We expect the concerned authorities at all levels to look into the issue (of suicides by farmers) without lapse of time, considering the gravity of the situation and try to evolve a formula or a package which would benefit the farmers in distress to reduce their hardships," the bench said.
   
The court also ordered authorities to furnish details of packages and schemes aimed at curbing suicides within three weeks. Petitioner Kishor Tiwari of the VJAS claimed that over 1,800 farmers have committed suicide in the cotton-growing belt of Vidarbha in the past two years.
   
The PIL, filed last year draw attention to the spate of suicides by farmer in Vidarbha, had also sought a probe into the role of government officials in promoting bio- technologically modified cotton seeds.
   
According to Tiwari's lawyer Vinod Tiwari, BT cotton is responsible for making cotton farming a loss-making proposition. The PIL sought criminal action against the manufacturers of BT cotton seeds and government officers allegedly promoted them. ([email protected])