Vidarbha farmers hunger protest to demand fresh crop loan and C.B.I. probe in Prime Minister Relief Package: Hundreds of farm widows to join agitation.
NAGPUR - May 31, 2010
The Drought hit vidarbha farmers along with hundreds of vidarbha farm widows are joinging huger strike protest on 1st June ,in order to draw the attention of PMO office towards the massive failure of his relief packages on both bank credit and irrigation front.having done massive corruption in the Rs.3750 crore relief package ,mahrashtra Govt. has asked for another Rs.7560 crore as relief package II so that bankers and ministers can garb the money in the name of giving aid to dying vidarbha farmers
"3 million drought his dying vidrabha farmers are demanding fresh crop loan and sustainable crop alternative not high technology and high risk crops promoted by American MNCs nut executive at the state and central level are promoting wrong crop cultivation inviating more and more farm suicides .before givng any relief package to farmers ,dying farmers should be given chance to say that what is their hardship and what are their demands but ministers and babus are taking decisions in consultation with MNCs and giving schemes in rleif packages and more than 80% money is siphoned out by the few bankers,con tractors and ministers ,we demand C.B.I. probe and social audit of earlier relief packages and mega loan waivers and hunger strike protest on 1 st june for that demand only''Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti(VJAS) president Kishor Tiwari informed today.
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Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has exposed the futility of the package..THE GOVERNMENT has pumped in Rs 5,000 crore in the suicide belts of Vidarbha over the last two years. Yet, farmers continue to kill themselves. Now, a performance audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has exposed the futility of the package and VJAS has reported the CAG report urging the central Govt. to order in-depth enquiry in to CAG take serious allegations but till date nothing has been done after CAG explosive report .in addition CAG 
The15th report of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) tabled in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on November 11, by PAC chairman BJP MLA Girish Bapat from Pune has pointed out that the massive corruption in the Rs 3750/- crore Prime Minister Relief Package for distressed Vidarbha farmers resulted in its failure and also suggested very stern action under Indian penal code against all erring officers involved in the implementation of relief packages announced to stop farmers suicides in western Vidarbha but Mharashtra Govt. has not taken any action on PAC Report even after one year hence both the central Govt. and state Govt. is protecting this multi thousand crore scam in vidarbha farmers’ relief package hence in order to drow the attention of Indian Prime Minister Dr.Manmahoan Singh and to get the orders of C.B.I. enquiry in the very critical charges and facts put by the PAC committee Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti has announced the indefinite hunger protest from 1st of june 2010 ,(VJAS) president Kishor Tiwari added.
“we have been demanding the social audit of these mega multi thousand crore relief packages ,given in the name of distress cotton farmers of vidarbha to stop on going farm suicides but farm suicides are till continue,the CAG nad PAC reports massive corruption in irrigation contracts , banking loan recovery ,agri.dept. water shade development work and quality seed replacement programme,we demand all concern ministers and officers in charge of relief operation should book under Indian penal court after mocrio-level investigation by C.B.I. officers as state Govt. has demanded another rs.7650 crore vidarbha relief package-II ,that only for coruuption ”Tiwari added.
Here are our earlier reports on CAG and PAC Fact finding on vidrabha afrmers relief package scam.
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1)Farmer relief package turns suicidal: CAG
http://www.merinews.com/
Sun, Apr 27, 2008 19:15:22 IST
THE GOVERNMENT has pumped in Rs 5,000 crore in the suicide belts of Vidarbha over the last two years. Yet, farmers continue to kill themselves. Now, a performance audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has exposed the futility of the package..
A report titled Performance Audit of Farmers Package by the CAG of India, has concluded that the package has failed in its basic purpose, that of reducing the agrarian crisis in the six affected districts of Vidarbha. The districts are Yavatmal, Amravati, Wardha, Akola, Buldhana and Washim
"Reduction in farmers distress in Vidarbha does not inspire confidence,” the report emphatically states. Adding that unless corrective measures are taken, "The agrarian distress would start rising again in the closing years of the package. Such distress could increase significantly particularly after the moratorium of loan repayment expires," cautions Sunil Dadhe, the accountant general (audit) in his concluding remarks.
A survey, covering 41,663 farmers in 383 villages of the six districts worst hit by cotton failures in Vidarbha, was part of the CAG audit of the farmers packages announced by the state and central governments in 2006. It found that 36 per cent of farmers were not even aware of the state and central government packages.
The audit slams the government for weak monitoring, delays in payments of compensation and lack of coordination in implementing the packages. The audit conducted between March and June 2007 highlights some glaring deficiencies. It is the first report evaluating implementation of the packages since they were announced two years back.
The CAG report says that government directives for moneylenders to free farmers lands were turned down by the High Court when moneylenders approached it. Neither did the government challenge the court ruling nor did it strengthen the existing laws in favour of the farmers.
A door-to-door survey in 2006 by the state showed there were 13.48 lakh distressed and 4.34 lakh very distressed farmers in these six districts. But they were not considered when benefits were handed out. Short-term measures like help-lines and rescheduling loans were ineffective for most farmers. The report also questioned long-term goals, like creating irrigation potential and subsidiary occupations for farmers.
As per CAG report, it is now official that all claims made by the state administration as per as implementation of relief packages are concern were misleading and far away from the ground reality that has killed more innocent distressed Vidarbha farmers. Here is the detail of CAG report officially released by Maharashtran government.
Suicides by debt-ridden Vidarbha farmers have actually accelerated after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the multi-crore relief package in 2006. The state administration is blamed for lack of co-ordination and a faulty implementation of plans.
The CAG statistics reveal that the suicide graph has been on the rise. From 712 farmers in 2005-06, to 1414 suicides in 2006-07 the total suicide deaths reported from April-July 2007-08 stood at 608. The report was tabled in the state legislature on Friday, hours before the seven-week budget session was prorogued.
CAG has demolished the state government’s claim, that alls well after funds flow from the relief package. In fact the CAG team has asserted that there is no monitoring of the implementation of the packages.
"Though the state created the Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swawalamban Mission (VNSSM) for monitoring of the implementation of the packages, it had no dedicated staff apart from its director general and a driver. Consequently, it failed to even watch the expenditure incurred by the implementing departments under various components,’ ’ the report said.
The auditors, who surveyed 363 villages covering 41,663 farmers, said the state failed to implement its announcements that farmers who took loans from unregistered moneylenders can treat themselves free from that loan. In fact, the CAG survey revealed that 75 per cent of their respondents were unaware of this announcement in absence of adequate and effective publicity.
The CAG report reveals that illegal money lenders have got relief from the courts after the assistant registrars of the cooperative societies (ARCS) declared the farmers free from debts. In 18 writ petitions filed by the money lenders the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court passed orders setting aside the orders of the ARCS.
"The government neither appealed against the orders (in the Supreme Court) nor took any remedial action like amendment of the relevant acts to secure the interests of the indebted farmers. Consequently the affected farmers did not get the intended benefit of the government decision of December 2005,’’ it said.
A scrutiny of the state government records in Amravati by the CAG has revealed that 224 eligible farmers were deprived of the compensation of Rs 2.14 lakh due to non-availability of funds, speaking volumes about the state administration’ s handling of the issue. The report said that many banks claimed interest without extending fresh loans to the distressed farmers. Of the 17.64 lakh farmers in the six districts, 9.29 lakh cases of loan having outstanding principle amount of Rs 1,369 crore were proposed to be rescheduled after waiver of interests.
However, fresh loans of Rs 673 crore (43 per cent) were given in 4.84 lakh cases. "The waiver of interest in all these cases did not help the families of the farmers concerned in income augmentation since loan was not rescheduled. Further the government waived interest on 1. 92 lakh farm workers, though the packages did not envisage assistance to those who were not farmers,’’ the report said.
The Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) president Kishor Tiwari urged UPA government to order CBI. inquiry in this matter as issue of huge malpractices in more than Rs.5000 crore. This failure of relief package has resulted to more than 3000 suicides of farmers.
In fact VJAS has demanding that due to total apathy of administration and causal attitude, coupled with massive corruption has made this condition of rural Vidarbha so pathetic and aggravated that the agrarian crisis grew more after the announcement of relief package;as the relief did not reached the dying farmers in time even after the lapse of two year. It is the need of the time to provide food security health care to minimum 4.34 lakh farming families who are identified by administration as farmers in deep distress, Tiwari added.
2) Public Accounts Committee (PAC) reports massive corruption in Rs.3750 crore Prime Minister Relief Package for distressed Vidarbha farmers
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Public Accounts Committee (PAC) reports massive corruption in Rs.3750 crore Prime Minister Relief Package for distressed Vidarbha farmers
VJAS demands stern action on erring officers
Some of the officers who were involved in irregularities and corruption of thousands of crore have taken voluntary retirement from the State Government service with due consent of the concerned minister. All contracts or supply orders of relief work and materials were fabricated and most of the money was diverted to the minister, contractors and officers even after PAC asked for immediate action
THE 15th report of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) tabled in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on November 11, by PAC chairman BJP MLA Girish Bapat from Pune has pointed out that the massive corruption in the Rs 3750/- crore Prime Minister Relief Package for distressed Vidarbha farmers resulted in its failure and also suggested very stern action under Indian penal code against all erring officers involved in the implementation of relief packages announced to stop farmers suicides in western Vidarbha, Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), informed.
The 15 report of (PAC) has blamed irrigation department, agriculture department and co-operative banks for siphoning out thousands crore by the complete understanding of concern ministers and executives in the top end of government in Mantralaya.
Some of the officers who were involved in irregularities and corruption of thousands of crore have taken voluntary retirement from State Government service with due consent of the concern minister. All contracts or supply orders of relief work and materials were fabricated and most of the money was diverted to the minister, contractors and officers even after PAC asked for immediate action till date there is no action against the officers orthebanks,PACreportadded.
The 15th report of PAC has expressed shock and displeasure over the extreme apathy of executive to provide ex-gratia aid to the next kin of deceased farmers. In some cases bribe was demanded from the kin of deceased farmers who committed suicide to make illegible for the aid. This is sheer apathy and indicates inefficient functionary in administration, PAC said in the report.
PAC has asked Government to arrange for the detail probe in all the cases of irregularities and malpractices in relief packages and in providing ex-gratia and to take stringent action against those already found guilty. ATR should be submitted to Public accounts committee (PAC),it recommended.
Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), farmers advocacy group who have already lodged complaints against on going massive corruption in farmers relief packages, now urged government to tale stern action against all concern ministers and officers involved in the corruption, Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), informed the media.
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“Hundereds vidarbha farm widows are also joinging hunger strike on 1st june as Govt. is pumping thousands of crore in the name of farmers relief package but they failed to provide food ,free education and health care to dying distressed farmers families as recommended by Dr.Narendra Jadhav committee even after Govt. has accepted the it’s report 28 month back now they are asking for Rs.7560 crore for irrigation projects in which 50% money is being siphoned out by concern ministers and officers in Mumbai mantralaya as it has been done to earlier allotted Rs.5600 crore ,the corruption level in vidarbha relief package has created new history in mahrashtra hence we have been demanding C.B.I. probe and we will get it ”Tiwari said today.
