Vidarbha Farmers to oppose Maharashtra Govt. decision to allow GM Crops Trails

Vidarbha Farmers to oppose Maharashtra Govt. decision to allow  GM  Crops Trails

Nagpur-29^th Nov. 2013

3 million debt-trapped distressed cotton farmers who are innocent victims of first genetically modified (GM) crop BT. cotton commercial trials resulting more than 11,000 farmers suicides have strongly opposed recent decision of Maharashtra Govt.  to give permission to 28  proposals to conducts field trials of various GM crops after high-power committee set up to promote GM crops in states  headed by Nuclear scientist  Dr.Anil Kakodkar has cleared the proposals  mostly from unregulated private seed companies having association with American GM seed giant MNC Monsanto which is under scanner and litigations throughout the world for unfair trade practices and charges of promoting Gm crops which are unsafe for health and environment moreover USA based Gm seed company is being blamed for creating seed monopoly and is party to American super power to control ‘Agriculture –food economy’ of the world  hence we urge Maharashtra Govt. to cancel all NOCs given for field trials of GM crops in Maharashtra as this will be converted in commercial trails  Genetically Modified (GM) without making any  a proper regulatory and safety mechanism , Kishore Tiwari President of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), an activist group working for farmer and demanding ban on GM crop since 2004  said in press release today . 

Earlier the recommendations of  Supreme Court technical expert committee imposing an indefinite moratorium on the field trials of Genetically Modified (GM) crops till the government comes out with a proper regulatory and safety mechanism has upset the game plan American GM seed giant MNC Monsanto to hassle free commercial trails of GM crops hence this is back door entry ewith help of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prathaviraj Chavan who are very close to these MNCs and strong supporter of GM crop for the reason known to the world but fround reality is western Vidarbha which is  known as farm suicide capital of India after 2004 when Indian Govt.  allowed very rain sensitive Bt.cotton commercial trials which has proved as disaster as Technology was suitable for dry land cotton farmers and successive bt.cotton crop failure and mounting debt has started farm suicide spiral which is till continued and this truth was confirmed by Indian parliamentary committee headed by Basudeo Achaya MP reports too but cartel in Agri. Ministry and close liaison of MNCs  has been able push GM crops even after this vidarbha farmers’ genocide  hence we are indebted with  Supreme Court technical expert committee historic decision”    Kishore Tiwari added.

‘Vidarbha cotton farmers has paid cost  misdeeds done by regulators which  ignored several issues relating to health safety data of GM crops that biotechnology companies had used to obtain approvals aimed at commercial release of the crops without any socio-economic impact study during evaluation, the panel said ,that has confirmed by apex court technical committee hence we want criminal prosecution against concerned who allowed Bt.cotton seed  commercial trails in dry land region of vidrabha where there is no protected irrigation facility  as farmers forced to kill themselves due to massive crop failure and mounting debt converting region as graveyard  or dying field of farmers and tragedy is till continued’ Tiwari added.

“We urge Maharashtra Govt. to scrap proposed GM crop field trails until there is more definitive information from sufficient number of studies as to their long-term safety based on the examination of the safety dossiers, it is apparent that there are major gaps in the regulatory system as it is serious that GM crops for which India is a center of origin like rice, brinjal, and mustard which is being kept on hold which reflects view of the  Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, in a report August 2012 had asked for ban on GM food crops in the country” Tiwari added.

Maharashtra CM urged to Protect ‘Wasankar Group’s Investors under MPID

Maharashtra CM urged to Protect ‘Wasankar Group’s Investors under MPID

Nagpur dated November 25, 2013

After EOW has arrested directors of ‘Shreesurya Group’ under charges of cheating  of 10 thousand investors from farm crisis hit vidarbha and Marathwada  lured with towering return dumped now another wealth management company floated by Dr.prashant Wasankar is facing same fate  and Nagpur is set to rock with a fresh controversy suspecting another Mega Investment Scam and it is alleged that   wasankar wealth management company has eroded the hard earn money of  more than two thousands innocent  people offering  high dreams of rich future within short span of time as per documents attached with this complaint that Wasankar who is charging huge amount membership amounting more than Rs. One lakh per annum collected more than Rs.2000 crore giving post dated cheques offering around 30% interest on deposit nut now forget the interest investors are finding difficult to get back their own money more over, this firm run Dr.prashant Wasankar  company is not  registered with any regulator under finance ministry or    Reserve Bank of India or Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for collecting such deposits which is illegal as per GOI acts and Mah.state’s money leading act. but nobody has questioned the company as on today  hence Maharashtra Chief Minister Prathiraj Chvan  has been urged to initiate the action under Maharashtra protection of investors deposit act 1999 (MPID)  against  Wasankar Group promoters in order to save these investors ,Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan  Samiti(VJAS)  informed in press release today.

“The grid of investors or depositors to higher return is leading to innocent victimization in which most victims are middle class pensioners hence we are urging CM to have urgent intervention to get back basic capital of these dying old age pensioners as we have received lot complaints that Dr.Prashant Wasankar has denied to pay back capital sighting the reasons of financial crisis hence state should give him financial bailout package  as all illegal activities of Wasankar was promoted and protected by Babus ,police and other hostile pillars of democracy” Letter added.

 In letter to CM it is reported that Dr.Prashant Wasankar  has been working in Nagpur as sub-broker of BSE-NSE capital market since last 23 years ,has earned the confidence of investors to larger extend  and has been writing in local newspapers on wealth creation solutions and arranged investors meet in all metros of India and abroad ,is having active operation  in Australia  and Singapore  but his real activities of  running fishy and illegal deposits schemes offering interest rates more than  1.5%   has been reported in Feb,2013 and when shreesurya scan was reported , cracks to the trust of wasankar developed and investors panic of getting capital money back has  exposed the bankruptcy  of wasankar group and investors realized they have been dumped and cheated by fraudulent misleading investment advices given by Dr.Prashant Wasankar ,has approached VJAS to  get back their hard earn  life time earning hence CM Maharashtra has been urged to intervene in the matter  as local politicians are  covering misdeed of Wasankar ,Tiwari added.

,VJAS has attached promissory notes and cheques given dr. prashant wasankar and Interest chart signed by himself offering the schemes that double the money with 30 months and offering  a membership collecting  Rs lakhs of rupees  then members where asked to give fix deposits and but now investors are demanding the return of the capital  but Dr.Prashant Wasankar has failed to return the money and he has been asking the investors to wait sighting recession in share market and helpless investors are crying before the office of  Wasankar Group  and in the plea to CM of maharashtra VJAS has drawn the attention of administration that all deposits collected by the Wasankar company are illegal and has no legitimate status where as he has been fully protected by local Police Authorities, SEBI, RBI, Govt. of Maharashtra etc. and activities of Wasankar Wealth Management Group    is nothing but money laundering activities and it has international network too, Tiwari  added.

Recently Wasankar Group  illegal activities and bankruptcy  was reported in electronic and print media but administration and police have turned blind eye but now investors are gathering before the of Wasankar Group  office and crying for money but they are finding helpless as administration has turned blind eye to this scam earlier too , last month Sameer Joshi has dumped innocent investors around Rs.240 crore earlier that one  Pramod Agarwal has dumped thousands of investors to tune  of Rs 100 crore on the name of Mahadev Land Developers and  Ullas Khaire had dumped  around 1 lakh people of Rs 1,100 crore and now this Wasankar Group  likely repeat the same story hence we are urging Mah. CM to initiate action under  Maharashtra protection of investors deposit act 1999 (MPID)  against  Wasankar Group  Promoters so that innocent investors hard earn money is protected ,Kishore Tiwari added. 

7 more farmers commit suicide in Vidarbha region- Hindustan Times

 Saturday, November 23, 2013 

Pradip Kumar Maitra, Hindustan Times

Nagpur, November 22, 2013

7 more farmers commit suicide in Vidarbha region

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/1154591.aspx?s=p

Seven farmers have committed suicide in several villages of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region since Thursday. The deceased were identified as Baburao Rawte, Pramod Potrajwar, Wasaram Rathod and Ramrao Khokle (all from Yavatmal district),  Sanjay Gawande (Washim) and Vinod Mahakulkar and Suresh Ambarwele (both from Wardha district).

Bothbodan village sarpanch Balasaheb Chavan, where Rathod ended his life by swallowing poison on Thursday, said that the desperate farmer had five acres of land and most of his crops, particularly raw cotton and soyabean, were destroyed in unseasonal heavy rains this kharif season.

“Since the crops failed, he couldn’t pay the Rs. 2 lakh loan taken from banks and private money lenders. He was depressed because no one would lend again to a defaulter,” Chavan said.

According to Chavan, Rathod was the 24th victim of agrarian crisis in the village since 2005.

“The farmers suicides continue in the village despite the discourses of spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and a visit by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi,” he added.

Chavan said the government has done nothing to stop farmers from taking the desperate step.

“Farmers are not getting crop loans from banks and crops do not fetch them good prices,” he said.

In Yavatmal, where four suicides have been reported in the past 24 hours, more than 200 farmers ended their lives since January this year.

Resident collector Yavatmal Rajendra Deshmukh said as many as 205 farmers from the district have committed suicide because of the agrarian crisis so far this year.

No official confirmed what led to the fresh round of suicides.

With the deaths of these seven farmers, the toll has risen to 43 this month. In October, 74 farmers killed themselves.

As many as 700 farmers have committed suicide due to crippling debts and crop failure since January this year in Vidarbha region, said Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti that has been documenting farmers’ suicides in the region.

“The state and central governments are very casual about the issue and do not seem interested in formulating a long-term policy to prevent farmer suicides,” said Tiwari.

About 1.98 lakh farmers committed suicide in India between 2001 and 2012 as the benefits of high growth failed to trickle down to the rural areas, says the India Rural Development Report 2012-13 released in September this year.

Indebtedness and lenders confiscating land have been attributed as the main causes of the farmers’ deaths.

About two-thirds of the farmer suicides were reported from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

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Smt.Sonia Gandhi ‘Vidarbha’ visit marks 'Four farmers suicides'

Smt.Sonia Gandhi ‘Vidarbha’ visit marks 'Four  farmers suicides' 

NAGPUR: 22^nd November 2013

Eve of visit of  Congress President Sonia Gandhi will launch expansion of a pro-poor health scheme named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, here on November 21 along with Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and other ministers from the Centre has been marked with another shocker of four more distressed debt trapped vidarbha farmers suicides reports  reaching Nagpur, they are

1.Vasram Rathode   of Bothbodan in Yavatmal(24^TH Suicide in Village)

2.Suresh Ambarvate of Nandori  in Wardha

3.Vinod Mahakalkarof Lonar in Wardha

4. Sanjay Gawande of Waghoda in Washim

Taking toll to 698 inyear 2013 ,Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS) informed today, urging Indian Govt. provide aid to tackle very pathetic situation as state Govt. failed to give any relief till date to dying farming community which is crying for food, medicine and relief aid .

”Cong. Party has spent more than Rs.30 million  for arranging public for this massive  public rally in which Soniaji will launch the health care scheme better known as 'Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayaini Yojna', a flagship programme of the Congress-led UPA government, but same time  even after numbers of expert committee recommendation failed to give free health service to extremely distressed farmer’s families where critical illness is main cause of agrarian crisis forcing farmers to commit suicide even under present scheme west vidarbha cotton farmers will not  covered as they are not entitled for red-green ration cards hence we are urging the state Govt. to extend RGJY to all distressed and debt trapped vidarbha farmers in order to stop on the going farm suicide spiral” Tiwari

 

The visit of UPA convener to cash crop cotton and soybean now sudden slash in procurement prices of both cotton   and soybean by the cartel of traders on the ground of quality of rain touch cotton and soybean is too poor to give minimum support price (MSP) and there is not state intervention of procurement @ MSP has restarted farm suicides spiral in west  vidarbha as six more farmers suicides reported in last 48 hours identified as

Both bodan (Yavatmal) in the village where all expert committees and cong. Vice president Rahul Gandhi, visited since 2006 has reported 24^th farm suicide when dry land farmer Vasram Bhavsing Rathode committed suicide having lost cotton crop in 5 acre land owing debt more than Rs.2 lakh ,Vasram Rathode is not alone  the entire region in facing complete crop failure and till date there no relief from Govt. informed village sarpanch of Both bodan Balasaheb Chavan (09922661795) informed from Govt. medical college hospital where he brought dead body of diseased farmers .   

As all announcements are turning out to be hoax for example in August Maharashtra Chief Minister announced Rs.2000 crore relief aid but till date nothing has been released more over local administration is shamelessly is Rs.80 to Rs.100 relief cheque  rubbing the salt on the wounds of dying farmers who lost complete crop, home and cattle as there are more than 3 million  flood effected farmers and others hence it is obvious  this aid is peanut hence vidarbha farmers  are demanding higher support price for cotton and soybean i.e. @ Rs.6000/ quintal and @5000/quintal, ” Bothbodan Sarpanch chavan added

Vidarbha where more than million acres of land has been eroded and crop lost amounting more than Rs.20,000 crore but announced relief by centre and state for Vidarbha is merge Rs.2800 crore which is too less to repair damaged  roads and bridges on a large scale and need urgent repairs and will need more money for property damage compensation  hence massive crop damages are likely to ignored  as final assessment report  of state govt. has not been submitted and farmers are crying for help, Kishor Tiwari said  

Earlier too when Indian Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh visited vidarbha on 1^{st July 2006} for announcing vidarbha relief package of Rs.3750 and he told the farm widows that his visit to give healing touch to distressed farmers  but  all promises given by him went in vain  and complete relief package followed by farm loan waiver failed to address the farm suicide issue failed miserably and his so called ‘Healing Touch’ has given more pain and despair now Indian Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar is on three day “Farm suicide tourism”  with same slogan that his tour is not political one and he is visiting flood hit region to give healing touch to dying farmers but farmers are requesting him not to rub the salt to their wounds by giving to promises and creating rosy picture as it’s trigger more suicide as when PM promise of farm credit ,direct aid and restoration to  sustainable agriculture and livelihood of agrarian community turned to be hoax, Tiwari said. ,

Sharad Joshi’s plea to oppose ‘Food Security Bill’ is  Rubbish

Nagpur -11^th November  2013

Shetkari Sanghatana Supreme Sharad Joshi who is strong supporter of globalization and free trade and advocating for USA base Bio-tech Company Monsanto who has created monopoly cotton seed which is main cash crop of Maharashtra and centre of controversy that GM technology is main cause of economic collapse of cotton trade and prevailing agrarian distress forcing more than 40 thousand farmers suicide in Maharashtra since 2004 after state allowed commercial trial of BT. cotton seed   ,now openly opposed UPA decision to give the food security which  guarantee food security two-thirds of the Indian population  and proposes to supply 5 kg of rice, wheat and coarse grains at Rs.3, Rs.2, Rs.1 per kg, respectively, every month to three-fourths of rural population and half the urban population in the country as ‘Anti-Farmer Move’ , is misleading and rubbish needs to be subjected for larger debate as Sharad Joshi’s statement reflects the view of all pro-WTO-World Bank-USA MNCs lobbyist in India    Kishor Tiwari of  VJAS ,the only farmer west vidarbha dry land farmer’s voice since 1999 who are innocent victims of free trade  and completely failed GM-BT technology in cotton crop of the region forcing Govt. to have national agenda to go back original sustainable cotton seed technology ,strongly reacting to needless unfortunate remark ,  informed in press release today.

‘Vidarbha classic example of agrarian crisis driven free trade and shifting cash crop from perennial food crop in unregulated manner as such shift of crop pattern in west vidarbha correlate prevailing distress and farmer suicides numbers with east vidarbha where food crop dominates as main crop, the issue of sustainable minimum support price to farmer growing food crop and direct cash incentive  to such farmers with integrated social and economic security plan is need of hour not the opposition to the national food mission which is need of the hour hence we request very senior farmers leader like Sharad Joshi whose grate work for cause of the farmers movement is till respected at large but his pro-USA base free trade stand lost his support and charisma,   to rethink the stand as his party is contesting national election 2014 and such anti poor  policies will damage the credibility as dry land farmers who are now growing only cotton ,sugarcane and soybean has been demanding food security cover hence this humble  this humble request to Joshi urging him to give up his loyalist to  hostile USA-WTO  trade  policies killing thousands of farmers in name of second green revolution’ Tiwari  added.

“Those who understand poverty and hunger in rural India and starvation and malnutrition death tribal region of India, would not have opposed the ordinance, in fact universal food security bill is pending before the Nation since 2004 and hunger is killing million. Political parties who believe in vote bank based caste base equation or fundamental emotional religious issues will find ton of arguments to oppose the food security ordinance but such opposition to create obstacle in food for all poor will hammer their long term prospects of changing the power at the center hence we urge all political parties to support the ordinance and get implements without any leakages and corruption  in public distribution system (PDS) in rural part of India” Tiwari.

It is reported the universal food security  programme would require more than 61 million tons of food-grain and is expected to cost the government about Rs 1,25,000 crore and the state governments will now have to identify the beneficiaries on a war footing through an open transparent criteria and that is tough task as progressive state like Maharashtra has been using BPL survey of year 1997 as base intensify  real   needy poor who needs  food security which is long pending demand of the VJAS which is agitating since 2001 and moved Mumbai high court and Maharashtra human right commission (MHRC) in past but even after direction from high court families under BPL and tribal are denied food security hence we want urgent lunching of scheme, Tiwari added.

‘This is most unfortunate that even supreme court India has created right of food but main opposition parties has not taken up issue   when  administration has not been giving  food security to all illegible families as per provision of food control order 2001 and existing list of year 1999 of BPL families  and those critising ordinance of food security has no time to look at the supreme court of India clear cut guidelines and union control Food Control Order -2001 that every year list of BPL families under PDS food security scheme should renewed as per list submitted by Village Panchayat in it’s “Gramsabha”, in fact UPA food security is under  to enforce supreme court direction and guidelines of  Food Control Order 2001 which is most welcome step even after it is taken after 12 years ,Tiwari added.

Five more farmers commit suicide in Vidarbha-Hindustan Times

Five more farmers commit suicide in Vidarbha

Pradip Kumar Maitra, Hindustan Times  Nagpur, November 02, 2013

First Published: 21:42 IST(2/11/2013) | Last Updated: 21:45 IST(2/11/2013)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4939340020468&set=a.2786455359697.94499.1807691026&type=1&theater

The unfortunate trend of agrarian crisis driving distressed farmers to commit suicide continues in Vidarbha. As many as five more farmers have ended their lives in the last 48 hours on the eve of Diwali in the region.

According to reports reaching here on Saturday evening, among the victims three were from the neighbouring Wardha and two were from Yavatmal — one of the worst-hit districts in the region.

The deceased were identified as: Ashok Sathe of Zullar village, Bharat Ade of Parsoda (both from Yavatmal district), Ramesh Wadatkar, Yashambha village, Devidas Thakare, Sorta and Vithalrao Ladhi of Arambha (all from Wardha district).

Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti that has been documenting the farmers’ suicide in the region since 2001 claimed that with the death of these five farmers, the toll has risen to 683 in the region since January this year.

Tiwari urged the government to provide necessary help to the distressed farmers so that such tragic incidents could be prevented. Farmers in the region were forced to take the extreme step as they have no money even for the purchasing sweet and new clothes for their children on Diwali, he claimed.

Vilas Raut of Wadaki village, who knew one of the victims, Ashok Sathe of Zullar village, informed that Ashok was shattered following the crop failure due to heavy rains. He had borrowed around Rs. 50,000 from the local cooperative bank.

“When he realized that he would not be able to repay the loans and generate fresh funds for the next season, he ended his life by consuming poison on Friday evening. Moreover, he was also depressed as he could not borrow money for purchasing clothes for his children and family this Diwali,” Raut pointed out.

Vidarbha, where more than one million acres of land has been eroded and over Rs. 20,000-crore worth crop lost, the announced relief by centre and state was a meagre Rs. 2,800-crore.

Apart from bailout the crisis-ridden farmers, the amount is too less to repair damaged roads and bridges on a large scale following heavy rains in the region, Tiwari said.

Ashwin Mudgal, the collector of Yavatmal district admitted that he has received the news of farmers’ suicide in his district. “I have directed my tahsildar to inquire about it and submit a report immediately,” he said.

The collector, Mudgal also admitted that over 60 farmers from Yavatmal district alone, committed suicide because of agrarian crisis since June this year.