By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal: With 12 more farmers suicides reported from Vidarbha region of Maharashtra in first four days of this February month the death toll has mounted to 92 in the current year.
The fresh victims of Vidarbha agrarian crisis are: Santosh Pradhan, Haridas Baiskar & Shrikrishana Ambhore (all three in Akola); Kashiram Khodake, Sahebrao Surushe & Vasanta Kakad (all three in Buldhana); Motiram Jadhav, Dadaji Darun & Ganesh Jivtode (all three in Yavatmal); Ramdas Paridhe & Vasant Mute (both in Wardha) and Mahadev Shirbhate in Amaravati.
According to a Press release issued today by Nagpur-based Kishor Tiwari, president Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, (VJAS ), as per reports last month too i.e. in January 80 farmers committed suicides in Vidarbha.
Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is visiting Gondia in Vidarbha on February 9 after 18 months he announced on 1st July 2006 Rs. 3750 crore relief package to stop the ongoing farm suicides in Vidarbha. However, more than 2000 farmers committed suicides as per official Maharashtra Government reports which is highest in the history of agrarian crisis, Tiwari pointed out.
Hundreds of widows of farmers, who committed suicide after announcement of the relief package and have been denied the relief-aid on technical grounds that these farmers committed suicide due to distress other than agrarian crisis, will meet Indian Prime Minister on February 9 to show their pathetic condition and apathy of Maharashtra Government.
More than 90 per cent farm suicide cases have been rejected in order to show that there is slow down in farm suicides and relief package are working well. “We have requested Indian Prime Minister to give time to these widows in order to understand the hardship of dying farming community but if administration is not giving us official time then we will march to Gondia will protest in the function”, Tiwari informed.
VJAS has been demanding to include Vidarbha region in NFSM (National Food Security Mission) and special outlay of RKVY (Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana) alongwith a comprehensive policy for land rights to landless, marginal farmers and tribals cultivating barren land and raise the demand to allocate dedicated funds on the lines of AIBP for farm ponds, community tanks and give incentives to farmers / villages who/which harness water.
VJAS has urged Indian Prime Minister to arrange food security, health security and employment opportunities to dying west Vidarbha farmers as at the ground level minimum food, medicine, social system support is missing.
‘Total apathy of administration has made this condition of rural Vidarbha so pathetic due to non-serious attitude towards agrarian crisis and it has resulted that the relief declared year back has not reached to dying farmers after lapse of one year. It is the need of the time to provide food security health care to minimum 4.34 lakh farm families who are identified by administration as farmers in deep distress, Tiwari added. ([email protected])