By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal: The Maharashtra Government in a recent special issue of its official publication "Lokrajya" has once again claimed that relief packages to stop farm suicides of cotton growing farmers in Vidarbha region of the state are 100 per cent successful.
The above claim has been made despite the Mumbai High Court, Nagpur bench’s strictures that present relief package has failed to stop farm suicides, a Press release issued by the Nagpur-based Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, (VJAS).
The High Court order had asked the administration to make urgent changes in methodologies so that relief aid is directly given to the distressed farmers in order to slow down the farm suicides. However, instead of taking the High Court order in a positive spirit and true sense of humanity and principles of civil governance the Maharashtra Government acted to the contrary..
The release stated that the office of the Relief Commissioner in Amaravati has very gloomy picture and figure of farm suicides after relief package was announced in six districts of west Vidarbha as per official record is 1720. Moreover, in 2007 official figure of farm suicides in six district of Vidarbha is reaching 1000 mark that’s 923. Here below is the official Vidarbha farm suicides table which is as follows: –
|
Months-2006 |
Farm suicides |
Months-2007 |
Farm suicides |
|
July |
109 |
January |
99 |
|
August |
120 |
February |
107 |
|
September |
156 |
March |
113 |
|
October |
160 |
April |
97 |
|
November |
125 |
May |
102 |
|
December |
127 |
June |
82 |
|
|
|
July |
75 |
|
|
|
August |
95 |
|
|
|
September |
106 |
|
|
|
October till date |
47 |
|
Total |
797 |
|
923 |
Meanwhile, Kishor Tiwari farm activist and president VJAS has urged the Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to consult the distressed farmers about their.hardships so that it could be addressed properly and they are relieved and farm suicides are stopped.
"It is ridiculous to consult the same non-functional culprits for making new changes in relief package to stop Vidarbha farmers from suicides", Tiwari said.
Restoration of advance bonus, price to raw cotton fixed at Rs. 2700/- per quintal and complete loan waiver are the main demands while providing food security, health care, free education and rural employments needs immediate government’s
attention, Tiwari added. ([email protected])
attention, Tiwari added. ([email protected])
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