Vidarbha Farm Widows to Join Power politics once Women Reservation Bill is passed.

Vidarbha Farm Widows to Join Power politics once Women Reservation Bill is passed.

“If women reservation bill is passed which is being introduced on the Intranational women day today, Vidarbha Farm Widows Assocation (VFWA) representing more than 7000 farm widows of cotton farmers who committed suicides sine 2001 in the on going agrarian crisis in vidarbha region has passed resolution that farm widows will contest all reserved constituencies after the Bill is passed ”Vidarbha Farm Widows Assocation (VFWA) president Bebitai Bais informed after the women day celebration here is small town hiwara in yavatmal district.

“Our aim would be to unite all the 7,000 farmland widows and over 35,000 orphans of Vidarbha whose concerns and problems are common. We must show the world the apathy of the bureaucracy and politicians to our issues and our demand to live a life of dignity,” she said.

“The vidarbha farm widows are the tiny representation of total more than 2 lakh farm widows who are living very pathetic life and trying for bread and shelter ,when Indian president Smt.Pratibha Patil is woman ,Loksabha speaker smt. Meerakumar is woman more over UPA Convener Smt .Sonia Gandhi is widow till such serious issue of more than 2 lakh farmn widows are not even discussed in the parliament then it’s matter of national shame”

Swaraswatibai Ambarwar VFWA secretary further added.

The Vidarbha agrarian crisis was highlighted in 2005 when 118 suicides were officially registered from the region. This prompted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to send agriculture expert M.S. Swaminathan there. He reported in September that year that the crisis was severe.

In December 2005, then Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh visited the affected regions and announced that there were nearly 800 suicides. He also announced an aid package of Rs.1,075 crore, but the suicides continued

Four months later, In March 2006, the centre sent a team of experts of planning commission led by smt.Adarsh Mishra which said the crisis was very serious and warranted central intervention.

In June 2006, Manmohan Singh himself visited the region and announced a package of Rs.3,750 crore, of which Rs.850 crore went toward waiver of interest on farm loans and the rest for augmenting irrigation facilities.

In February 2008, the centre announced the historic farm loans waiver package of over Rs.70,000 crore on an all-India basis.

However, VFWA pointed out that 90 percent of the farmers in Vidarbha did not get any benefit in view of the eligibility clause stipulating a minimum two-hectare land holding.

The suicides have continued unabated. Citing statistics, he said that the suicides were: 440 in 2004, 450 in 2005, 1,640 in 2006, 1,468 in 2007, 1,500 in 2008, 1086 in 2009 and 223 so far in 2010.

“when we watch rosy picture of Indian women progress that disturb us when billion farm women living in rural India are not getting food ,health care and education, no body speak about millions of family members of farmers who committed suicide and looked after by these farm widows in much more hostile condition till date neither central not any state Govt. has come out with rehabilitation package for us that is much more disturbing when they discuss power participation in parliament ,it’s mockery of system of governance” bais said.

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