Govt. ignored Vidarbha farmers in Drought Relief Aid

Govt. ignored Vidarbha farmers in  Drought Relief Aid

Nagpur-11^th Jan. 2013 :

The recent announcement of central government released an aid of Rs.778 crore as drought assistance to Maharashtra from National Disaster Response Fund keeping out agrarian crisis hit known as farmers suicide epicenter of India has shocked 5 million vidarbha distressed debt trapped farmers who are facing severe crop failure in cotton, paddy, pluses and soybean due to untimely rain and sudden climate change more over there is severe drought in west vidarbha Buldhana district  overall there is massive failure of cotton needs more than  Rs.10,000 crore  to address unseen agrarian crisis hence vidarbha farmers urged central Govt. to give special relief aid  to save more than five million  dry land farmers who are victims of wrong selection of cash crop promoted MNCs and not suitable technology coupled with sudden climate change in the region to save dying farmers who are killing themselves since 2005 due to distress and despair ,  Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti, VJAS informed in a press release today.

“In fact drought relief  aid   announced  the meeting of a high-level committee for central assistance to states affected by natural calamity, chaired by union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, in New Delhi that is attended by  Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Finance Minister P.Chidambaram, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia  who knows that this peanut as against demand submitted by state which is Rs.5000 crore .The complete focus of central and state is restricted to western maharashtra as till there is official report severe crop failure in vidarbha has not even sent by local administration ,gives clear indication that  apathy toward the region as earlier too 

Maharashtra Govt. initially declared drought in 122 taluks in 25 districts, but subsequently revised it to 125 talukas in 16 districts and  team of central government officials led by Joint Secretary R.B. Sinha visited the state during November 2012 for assessing drought situation during kharif 2012 has not visited agrarian crisi driven vidarbha hence taht team submitted its recommendation to the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) constituted under the chairmanship of agriculture secretary has not reflected any serious concern of dying field of vidarbha hence vidarbha farmers who have lost sevre crop failure in cotton likely to be left behind from any help forcing them to committee suicide” Tiwari added.

 “Vidarbha agrarian crisis has entered seven year now and vidarbha farmers suicides are being reported since June 2005 @ 8 hourly  and as per official Govt. record more than 9000 dry land farmers have killed themselves due to distress and despair accumulated due to crop failure and economic losses due to cotton prices collapses and due to wrong policies of Indian Govt. regarding MSP and export now one side monsoon rain has damaged main cash crop cotton and soya   other side banks failed to  fresh crop loan to farmers and input cost of as Bt.cotton ,seed ,fertilizers and pesticides have been  has been almost double in same cases triple which is also adding fuel to the crisis as last year too in maharashtra alone Bt.cotton failed in 42 lakh hector and maharashtra has officially paid more than Rs.4000 crore as compensation to the dying cotton farmers of region  ," said Tiwari.

“The more than 3 million distressed farmers are denied food security, health services and alternate sustainable source of livelihood forcing them to kill themselves and CM is being kept in the dark by administration by giving rosy picture of Vidarbha which main cause of worry, Tiwari added.