Maharashtra Tops farmers's suicides in 2010: VJAS urged to sack Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan

Maharashtra Tops farmer's suicides in 2010: VJAS urged to sack Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan

Nagpur: October 30, 2011

It's official that the country has seen over a quarter of a million farmers’ suicides between 1995 and 2010. The National Crime Records Bureau’s latest report on ‘Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India’ places the number for 2010 at 15,964 and Maharashtra has reported maximum 3141 farmers suicides followed by Karnataka 2585, A.P. 2525 and old M.P. +C.G. 2363 amounting 10,614 . That brings the cumulative 16-year total from 1995 — when the NCRB started recording farm suicide data — to 2,56,913, the worst-ever recorded wave of suicides of this kind in human history. Maharashtra posts a dismal picture with over 50,000 farmers killing themselves in the country's richest State in that period. It also remains the worst State for such deaths for a decade now. Close to two-thirds of all farm suicides have occurred in five States: Maharashtra, Karnataka, A.P., Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti has urged UPA convener Smt. Sonia Gandhiji to chage Maharashtra worst performing Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan as he is failed to protect cotton farmers of region having has ignored main demands of hike in Minimum Support Price-MSP of cotton, soybean and paddy and failed to resolve the issues of the procurement centers along with serious issue of power cut in rural vidarbha which is more than 18 hours and due to load-shedding, 50% cotton and paddy production of the region has suffered hence it was expected ,president Kishor Tiwari informed today.

“The recent announcement of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan yesterday that hiking the of Minimum Support Price-MSP of cotton will hit textile industry and lead to closing of mills has shocked the five million cotton farmers of Maharashtra as this is against the pending demand of congress and NCP party and It was expected that congress leaders of region will take up this serious issue of agrarian crisis with Maharashtra CM but nobody pushed the main demands and all were busy in welcoming him moreover. As Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has given hostile administration to state and administrative corruption is at peaks there is no coordination of ministers with chief minister resulting complete failure of state coalition Govt. hence we are demanding his removal to save dying cotton farmers of Maharashtra” Tiwari said.

In Maharashtra alone cotton is cultivated over 52 lakh hectare and the lion's share of it is in the rain fed region of Vidarbha and Marathwada where Bt.cotton crop has been failed due to long dry spell in September severely effecting the net yield of cotton by 50% resulting another Black Diwali for Bt.cotton growers who are in rip of agrarian crisis and committing suicides since June 2005 .The rain sensitive Bt.cotton seed which has increased almost triple the cultivation cost and drop down the net average cotton production per hector coupled with international market volatility and Indian Govt. export restrictions are the main reasons of prevailing distress and despair in region forcing the cotton farmers to kill themselves which is matter of national shame but complete apathy of Govt. at the centre and state are adding fuel to this on going farmers genocide, Tiwari said.

Since august party leaders who are in power are found busy in demanding MSP for cotton like public auction from Rs 5,000 or Rs 6000 per quintal and it is countered by the opposition leaders with the demand for Rs 7,000 or Rs 8,000 per quintal for the sake of political mileage making joke of the debt ridden farmers suffering as UPA Congress-NCP government has shamelessly hiked the cotton price from Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,300 a quintal in four years overlooking sky rocketing production cost which is allowing private traders to exploit the cotton farmers hence Maharashtra farmers are demanding state procurement at minimum Rs . 6000 per quintal in order to give bailout relief more than 5 million debt trapped cotton farmers of Maharashtra as there are valid reasons when The Maharashtra State Cooperative Cotton Growers Marketing Federation chairman Dr NP Hirani has demanded Rs 6,000 per quintal while MPCC president Manikrao Thakre urged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to ensure Rs 5,000 MSP followed by social justice minister Shivajirao Moghe took two MLAs along with him to New Delhi and they urged the Party President Smt.Sonia Gnadhiji to lift ban on cotton export permanently and hike the MSP to Rs 7,000 per quintal but in ground reality cotton farmers will another Black Diwali andthere are more chances of farm suicides due on going despair and distress, Tiwari added.

Looking at prevailing situation internationally wheren cotton prices are likely to soar to Rs 7,000 a quintal this year too riding on the global scarcity on account of poor crops in the US, China and Pakistan, Indian cotton farmers can hedge these prices only if central Govt. manages to raise the minimum support price to Rs 6,000 level but The government has not responded favorably disappointing cotton farmer hence we urge for urgent intervention to save dying cotton farmers, Tiwari said.

"As the reports from allover the are showing world shortage of cotton production , the Indian farmer gets advantage this time as cotton is now placed under open general license (OGL) for exports. But the OGL status should be continued. Last year, the Centre put unnecessary restrictions on exports denying farmers an opportunity to make it big. In the process they lost a market worth Rs 30,000 crore," said Tiwari.

“At the national level Maharashtra is main state which is cultivating Bt.cotton in around 52 lakh hector which is around 40% of Indian cotton cultivation moreover agrarian economy of Maharashtra is completely based on cotton production and prices hence we demand urgent intervention from Govt.” Tiwari added.

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म्हणे, प्रायोजक तत्त्वावर विदेशवारी! - कापूस उत्पादक पणनचे संचालक परतले-लोकमत

VIDARBHA NEWS

Thursday, 27 October 2011

म्हणे, प्रायोजक तत्त्वावर विदेशवारी! - कापूस उत्पादक पणनचे संचालक परतले-लोकमत

म्हणे, प्रायोजक तत्त्वावर विदेशवारी! -

कापूस उत्पादक पणनचे संचालक परतले

यवतमाळ। दि. २७ (जिल्हा प्रतिनिधी) लोकमत

विदर्भ जन आंदोलन समितीचे अध्यक्ष किशोर तिवारी यांनी तर या दौर्‍याच्या सीबीआय चौकशीची मागणी केली आहे. तब्बल चार हजार कोटींच्या तोट्यात असलेल्या आणि डबघाईस आलेल्या पणन महासंघाच्या संचालकांची विदेशवारी रूईगाठींच्या खासगी व्यापार्‍यांनीच प्रायोजित केली असावी, असा आरोपही तिवारी यांनी केला आहे.

http://onlinenews1.lokmat.com/php/detailednews.php?id=NagpurEdition-2-1-27-10-2011-db752&ndate=2011-10-28&editionname=nagpur

कापूस उत्पादकांच्या उत्थानासाठी (?) पणन महासंघाच्या संचालकांनी केलेली विदेशवारी चांगलीच गोत्यात आली आहे. महाराष्ट्र शासनाची परवानगी असली तरी या दौर्‍यासाठी प्रायोजक शोधण्यात आल्याची कबुली खुद्द पणन महासंघाच्या अध्यक्षांनी दिल्याने हा दौरा आता वादग्रस्त ठरला आहे.
राज्यात पणन महासंघांचे एकही कापूस खरेदी केंद्र सुरू झाले नाही अन् पणन संघाचे संचालकांनी म्हणे कास्तकारांच्या उत्थानासाठी दहा दिवसांची विदेशवारी केली. यात यवतमाळ जिल्ह्यातील चार, वर्धा दोन, अकोला दोन तर अमरावती जिल्ह्यातील दोन संचालकांचा समावेश आहे. यासाठी रितसर शासनाची परवानगी घेण्यात आली, मात्र पणन संघाचा किंवा शासनाच्या तिजोरीतील एक छदामही खर्च न केल्याचा दावा पणन महासंघाचा आहे. चीनचा दौरा आटोपून परतलेले पणन महासंघाचे अध्यक्ष डॉ. एन. पी. हिराणी म्हणतात, चीनमध्ये कापसाची शेती मोठय़ाप्रमाणात होते. याचाच अभ्यास करण्यासाठी हा दौरा आयोजित करण्यात आला होता. या अभ्यास दौर्‍यासाठी शासनाची केवळ परवानगी घेतली होती. पणन महासंघाचा एक छदामही या दौर्‍यावर खर्च करण्यात आला नाही. संपूर्ण दौरा प्रायोजक तत्वावर आयोजित असून काही रक्कम संचालकांनी स्वत:च्या खिशातून खर्च केल्याचे डॉ.हिराणी यांचे म्हणणे आहे. परंतु ते प्रायोजक कोण होते, याचे उत्तर मात्र गुलदस्त्यात आहे. चीनमध्ये भारतातील कापूस निर्यात व्हावा, येथील कास्तकाराला चीनची बाजारपेठ उपलब्ध व्हावी आणि कापसाची खरेदी चीनने थेट पणन महासंघाकडून करावी, असा आग्रह धरण्यासाठी हा दौरा असल्याचा त्यांचा दावा आहे. एकीकडे किमान हमी भावाचा आकडा तीन हजार तीनशेवर स्थिरावला आहे तर दुसरीकडे सहा हजार रुपये प्रति क्विंटल दराचा कापूस खासगी व्यापारी चार हजार ते चार हजार दोनशेच्या दरात विकत घेत आहेत. एकंदरीत संचालक तुपाशी अन् कास्तकार उपाशी, अशी म्हणण्याची वेळ आली आहे.
विदर्भ जन आंदोलन समितीचे अध्यक्ष किशोर तिवारी यांनी तर या दौर्‍याच्या सीबीआय चौकशीची मागणी केली आहे. तब्बल चार हजार कोटींच्या तोट्यात असलेल्या आणि डबघाईस आलेल्या पणन महासंघाच्या संचालकांची विदेशवारी रूईगाठींच्या खासगी व्यापार्‍यांनीच प्रायोजित केली असावी, असा आरोपही तिवारी यांनी केला आहे.

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Same old story: No end to Kalawati's woes -HT

Same old story: No end to Kalawati's woes

Pradip Kumar Maitra pradipmaitra@hindustantimes.com
JALKA (YAVATMAL)



A TRAGIC TALE -There seem to be no end to Kalawati Bandurkar's woes.

Suicides continue to haunt the family of the 56-year-old farm widow from Jalka village in Yavatmal district, who shot to fame in 2008 courtesy Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's impassioned speech in Parliament during a no-trust debate.

Things had begun to look up for Kalawati after Gandhi highlighted her plight. Congress workers and NGOs flocked to her doorstep with financial help.
As a result, she now gets Rs14,400 every month as interest after Sulabh International, an NGO, deposited Rs30-lakh in a bank on her behalf.

However, the spate of suicides continues, with three of her family ending their lives in five years.

The latest to commit suicide was her second daughter, Savita Khamamkar (27), who lived in Radegaon near Warora in Chandrapur district. Savita, who was ailing, set herself afire last month. She sustained over 85 per cent burn injuries and died at a government-run hospital in Chandrapur on September 26.

A distraught Kalawati said: “Savita was suffering from stomach ulcer and had not been keeping well. Her husband Diwakar, a farmer, provided all necessary treatment to her for which he had to borrow money.
This year, the yield from their farmland was very meagre.
When Savita learnt that Diwakar had taken a loan for her treatment, and that he faced the prospect of defaulting on his repayment, she decided to end her life.“

Life in the hinterland is neither easy nor free of troubles, especially in rural Vidarbha and the region's cotton belt in particular. Kalawati's tragic tale shows that any assistance given in isolation does not help the suffering farmers in the region, where, on an average, two farmers commit suicide every day.

“The situation is volatile".
Despair and distress levels are high. This is not suicide by farmers but genocide by the state.
We have been demanding food security for the poor farmers and inclusion of marginal farmers under BPL (Below Poverty Line) but the government has completely ignored us,“ said Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti, who has been documenting farmers' suicides since 2001.

Kalawati, who has given her three-acre land on lease this season because she could not get anything from the farm last year, is clueless about how the problems that plague the the region can be tackled.

“No one in this region is able to cope with farming pressures due to high agro input costs and low remunerative price for their produce. The only reason I am now reasonably better off is because of the financial help from Sulabh International,“ she said
told HT..

However, what Kalawati did not mention is that the financial help she received has made her something of an outcast in the village. She hardly goes anywhere or has any visitors these days.

‘Cotton for my shroud’ won Gold at the IDPA Awards-2011 and Nominated for the Vatavaran Environment and Wildlife Film Festival-2011

Documentary on Vidarbha Agrarian Crisis ‘Cotton for my shroud’ won Gold at the IDPA Awards-2011 and Nominated for the Vatavaran Environment and Wildlife Film Festival-2011

Nagpur -26^th October 2011

The story of the cotton farmers suicides of Vidarbha produced as documentary film ‘Cotton for my shroud’ by Top Quark Films and directed by Nandan Saxena & Kavita Bahl has been overwhelmingly viewed and got a very good response at the Mumbai Film Festival, organised by MAMI which was screened at Cinemax, Versova on October 15, 2011which has won the gold for script at the IDPA Awards-2011 and It has also been nominated for the Vatavaran Environment and Wildlife Film Festival at Delhi, to be held in December 2011, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti president Kishor Tiwari informed today.

“This is first documentary film which gives true picture of ground reality and exposes the reason of mass genocides of farmers done bt the state and US base Bt.cotton seed company Monsanto We are trying to organize screenings in different cities in other Indian metros too so that we can get civil society support which has turned it’s blind eye on this very serious issue over years .we are indebted to producer who has dared to release this documentary even after getting big hurdles from administration ”Tiwari added.

‘Cotton for my shroud’ shows story of dying field of vidarbha where more than 10,000 cotton farmers have committed suicides since 2004 after the introduction of American Bt.cotton seed as it report and

I QUOTE

You need iron in your soul to walk through the villages in Vidarbha region of India. There is hardly a farmer here who is not under debt and rarely will you come across a village where there has been no suicide. This cotton-growers belt once known for its fine cotton produce is known for cotton farmers' suicides today. It is now termed as the 'graveyard of farmers' by statisticians.

Vidarbha region in the state of Maharashtra – one of the richest states in India - has the highest instance of farmer suicides in India. With over 2.5 million tribal people, it is a classic case of a forest and mineral-rich region languishing while the funds for development are siphoned off to the 'influential' districts in the state. The voice for a separate statehood for Vidarbha is gaining momentum.

The feature-length documentary, 'Cotton for my shroud' is not reportage. The film tries to understand from a grass-roots perspective what is driving cotton farmers in India to despair - is it just a crisis of farm credit and the stranglehold of the moneylender or are they victims of faulty paradigms of development.

The agriculture policies of the Government and their collusion with multinational corporations eyeing the vast market in India - are exposed by the testimonies of farmers and scientists. Torn between aggressive marketing of supposedly 'better varieties' of transgenic crops by the State and his traditional wisdom of low-cost and eco-friendly agriculture, the farmer ultimately lands up in the honey trap of Bt. The result is in an unending cycle of debt and misery.

'Cotton for my shroud' was shot over two extensive visits to the hinterlands of Vidarbha.

In the summer, the lack of resources and bank loan for sowing the fields drives poor farmers to end their lives. In the winter, the depressed rates of cotton become the proverbial last straw.

If one farmer kills himself, we can call it a suicide. But when a quarter of a million kill themselves, how can the government call it suicide? It is genocide.

The Indian state has created conditions that are not conducive to the survival of small farmers. They want them to go, just as the small farmers disappeared in the west. In their place shall step-in large corporations that own vast swathes of farmland, growing pesticide-laced, genetically-modified food for an unsuspecting nation.Narrated in the first person, from the p.o.v of the film-makers, the film looks at the macro picture while following the lives of three families.

While the state and the media label these deaths as suicide, the cotton fields of Vidarbha remain a mute witness to genocide.The film was shot over two visits to the hinterlands of Vidarbha.

Narrated in the first person, the film looks at the macro picture while following the lives of three families. It gives us a window into the drama and despair that forms the warp and weft of life at Vidarbha.

About the Directors: Nandan Saxena & Kavita Bahl

Nandan Saxena & Kavita Bahl work in the genre of documentary and poetry films.

Their oeuvre spans the domains of ecology, livelihoods, development and human rights.

Having spent almost a decade as news-journalists, they turned a new leaf and started as independent documentary film-makers in 1996. Their films explore man’s relationship with his environment through diverse themes and issues: culture, poetry, water, climate change, sustainable livelihoods and human rights.

Their voluntary initiative ‘Via-Media’ is an effort to catalyse change by taking positive stories to receptive minds, and to build the capacity of citizens groups and movements. They take workshops to initiate inquisitive minds into film-making and photography.

Before studying journalism, both of them were students of English literature at the University of Delhi. Kavita reported for The Indian Express for seven years, of which, two were spent covering special features in the North-eastern states.

UNQUOTE

VJAS has thanked Nandan Saxena & Kavita Bahl for their grate work and pain while touring dying field of vidarbha and ‘Cotton for my shroud’ documentary will certainly boost cause of innocent cotton farmer who are victims of wrong policies of state and will force the law makers to stop this massive corruption leading genocide of farmers in future ,Tiwari said.

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Black Diwali for 5 million Maharashtra cotton farmers -Merinews Reports

Black Diwali for 5 million Maharashtra cotton farmers
-
Diwali is not a joyous affair for the cotton farmers of Maharashtra. With politics and price hike they have no way out except to accept death.

MAHARASHTRA FARMERS, who harvest cotton for a living, will have another Black Diwali due to crop failure and non-procurement from the Government. In Maharashtra alone, cotton is cultivated in over 52 lakh hectare and the lion's share of it is in the rain-fed region of Vidarbha and Marathwada where Bt.cotton crop has been failing due to long dry spells. This year also the same happened in the month of September. This severely effected the net yield of cotton by 50 percent resulting in another Black Diwali for Bt.cotton growers who are in the grip of a agrarian crisis and committing suicides since June 2005.

The rain sensitive Bt.cotton seed has increased cultivation cost by almost three times, and reduced the net average cotton production per hector. This is in addition to international market volatility and the Indian government export restrictions. Thus, all these combined have given reasons for the prevailing distress and despair in the region forcing the cotton farmers to kill themselves, which is a matter of national shame.

Complete apathy of Govt. at the Centre and state are adding fuel to this ongoing farmer’s genocide as was informed by Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti President Kishor Tiwari. Since August, party leaders who are in power are found busy in demanding MSP for cotton like public auction from Rs 5,000 or Rs 6000 per quintal and it is countered by the opposition leaders with the demand for Rs 7,000 or Rs 8,000 per quintal for the sake of political mileage.

The entire situation is making a joke of the debt ridden farmers' suffering as UPA Congress-NCP government has shamelessly hiked the cotton price from Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,300 a quintal in four years. They have entirely overlooked the sky rocketing production cost, which is allowing private traders to exploit the cotton farmers hence Maharashtra farmers are demanding state procurement at minimum Rs 6000, per quintal, in order to give bailout relief to more than 5 million debt trapped cotton farmers of Maharashtra.

The facts are quite dismal as the Maharashtra State Cooperative Cotton Growers Marketing Federation chairman, Dr NP Hirani, has demanded Rs 6,000 per quintal while MPCC President Manikrao Thakre urged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to ensure Rs 5,000 MSP. This was followed by social justice minister Shivajirao Moghe, who took two MLAs along with him to New Delhi, and they urged the Party President Smt. Sonia Gandhiji to lift ban on cotton export permanently and hike the MSP to Rs 7,000 per quintal.

The ground reality remains that cotton farmers will have another Black Diwali and there are more chances of farmer suicides due on going despair and distress. Looking at prevailing situation internationally, wherein cotton prices are likely to soar to Rs 7,000 a quintal, this year too riding on the global scarcity on account of poor crops in the US, China and Pakistan, Indian cotton farmers can hedge these prices only if Central Govt. manages to raise the minimum support price to Rs 6,000 level. However, the government has not responded favourably disappointing cotton farmer.

Last year, the Centre put unnecessary restrictions on exports - denying farmers an opportunity to make it big. In the process they lost a market worth Rs 30,000 crore. At the national level Maharashtra is the main state thats cultivating Bt.cotton in around 52 lakh hector, which is around 40 percent of Indian cotton cultivation. Moreover, the agrarian economy of Maharashtra is completely based on cotton production and prices hence urgent intervention from Government is desirable at the earliest.

Another ‘Black Diwali’ for five million Maharashtra Cotton Farmers due to Crop Failure and Non-Procurement from The Govt.

Another ‘Black Diwali’ for five million Maharashtra Cotton Farmers due to Crop Failure and Non-Procurement from The Govt.

NAGPUR: October 21, 2011

In Maharashtra alone cotton is cultivated over 52 lakh hectare and the lion's share of it is in the rain fed region of Vidarbha and Marathwada where Bt.cotton crop has been failed due to long dry spell in September severely effecting the net yield of cotton by 50% resulting another Black Diwali for Bt.cotton growers who are in rip of agrarian crisis and committing suicides since June 2005 .The rain sensitive Bt.cotton seed which has increased almost triple the cultivation cost and drop down the net average cotton production per hector coupled with international market volatility and Indian Govt. export restrictions are the main reasons of prevailing distress and despair in region forcing the cotton farmers to kill themselves which is matter of national shame but complete apathy of Govt. at the center and state are adding fuel to this on going farmers genocide, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti president Kishor Tiwari informed today.

Since August party leaders who are in power are found busy in demanding MSP for cotton like public auction from Rs 5,000 or Rs 6000 per quintal and it is countered by the opposition leaders with the demand for Rs 7,000 or Rs 8,000 per quintal for the sake of political mileage making joke of the debt ridden farmers suffering as UPA Congress-NCP government has shamelessly hiked the cotton price from Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,300 a quintal in four years overlooking sky rocketing production cost which is allowing private traders to exploit the cotton farmers hence Maharashtra farmers are demanding state procurement at minimum Rs . 6000 per quintal in order to give bailout relief more than 5 million debt trapped cotton farmers of Maharashtra as there are valid reasons when The Maharashtra State Cooperative Cotton Growers Marketing Federation chairman Dr NP Hirani has demanded Rs 6,000 per quintal while MPCC president Manikrao Thakre urged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to ensure Rs 5,000 MSP followed by social justice minister Shivajirao Moghe took two MLAs along with him to New Delhi and they urged the Party President Smt.Sonia Gnadhiji to lift ban on cotton export permanently and hike the MSP to Rs 7,000 per quintal but in ground reality cotton farmers will another Black Diwali andthere are more chances of farm suicides due on going despair and distress, Tiwari added.

Looking at prevailing situation internationally wheren cotton prices are likely to soar to Rs 7,000 a quintal this year too riding on the global scarcity on account of poor crops in the US, China and Pakistan, Indian cotton farmers can hedge these prices only if central Govt. manages to raise the minimum support price to Rs 6,000 level but The government has not responded favorably disappointing cotton farmer hence we urge for urgent intervention to save dying cotton farmers, Tiwari said.

"As the reports from allover the are showing world shortage of cotton production , the Indian farmer gets advantage this time as cotton is now placed under open general license (OGL) for exports. But the OGL status should be continued. Last year, the Centre put unnecessary restrictions on exports denying farmers an opportunity to make it big. In the process they lost a market worth Rs 30,000 crore," said Tiwari.

“At the national level Maharashtra is main state which is cultivating Bt.cotton in around 52 lakh hector which is around 40% of Indian cotton cultivation moreover agrarian economy of Maharashtra is completely based on cotton production and prices hence we demand urgent intervention from Govt.” Tiwari added.
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शेतकऱ्यांच्या जखमेवर मीठ चोळू नका, पदांचे राजीनामे द्या कापूस हमी भाव वाढीचे कागदी घोडे

शेतकऱ्यांच्या जखमेवर मीठ चोळू नका, पदांचे राजीनामे द्या

कापूस हमी भाव वाढीचे कागदी घोडे यवतमाळ, १९ ऑक्टोबर / वार्ताहर दिवाळी तोंडावर आली असताना आणि कापूस पणन महासंघाची खरेदी सुरू झालेली नसताना खाजगी व्यापाऱ्यांना कापूस विकण्याशिवाय शेतकऱ्यांना पर्यायच नसल्याने ‘वाट्टेल त्या भावात’ खरेदी होत असून शेतकऱ्यांचे शोषण होत आहे, असा आरोप विदर्भ जनआंदोलन समितीने केला आहे. पणन महासंघासह विविध संघटना आणि नेते केवळ हमीभाव सहा हजार रुपये असावा, सात हजार रुपये असावा, नऊ हजार रुपये असावा, अशा केवळ मागण्या करून कागदी घोडे नाचवत शेतकऱ्यांच्या जखमेवर मीठ चोळत आहेत, अशी टीका ‘विदर्भ जनआंदोलन समिती’ चे नेते किशोर तिवारी यांनी केली आहे. यावर्षी पाऊस उशिरा सुरू झाला, नंतर पाहिजे तेव्हा आला नाही, खतांचा तुटवडा होता, कापसावर रोगांचे अतिक्रमण आले. परिणामी, यंदा कापसाचे उत्पादन मोठय़ा प्रमाणावर घटणार हे उघड आहे. अशा स्थितीत कापसाला किमान सहा हजार रुपये हमीभाव आणि प्रती क्विंटल चार हजार रुपये बोनस सरकारने दिला पाहिजे. शेतकऱ्यांसाठी सरकार काहीच करत नाही व पणन महासंघासह सारेजण केवळ मागण्यांचे कागदी घोडे नाचवत आहेत, असे तिवारी यांनी एका पत्रकात म्हटले आहे. महाराष्ट्रात ५२ लाख हेक्टर क्षेत्रावर कपाशीची लागवड झाली आहे. यवतमाळ जिल्ह्य़ात साडेपाच लाख हेक्टर क्षेत्रात कपाशी आहे मात्र, सर्वत्र उत्पादनात घट येणार आहे. दिवाळी तोंडावर आहे. कापूस खरेदीसाठी सरकार तयार नाही. खाजगी व्यापारी या संधीचा फायदा घेऊन मनमानेल त्या भावात कापूस खरेदी करत आहेत. पणन महासंघाचे अध्यक्ष डॉ. एन.पी. हिराणी म्हणतात, हमी भाव सहा हजार रुपये द्या, काँग्रेस प्रदेशाध्यक्ष आमदार माणिकराव ठाकरे म्हणतात, किमान पाच हजार रुपये हमीभाव द्या, कापूस परिषदेत सात हजाराची मागणी झाली, तर काही संघटनांनी नऊ हजाराची मागणी केली, पण प्रत्यक्षात कोणी काहीही करत नाहीत. सामाजिक न्यायमंत्री शिवाजीराव मोघे व आमदार नीलेश पारवेकर सोनिया गांधी यांना दिल्लीत भेटले आणि सात हजार रुपये हमीभाव असावा, अशी मागणी केली. हे सारे प्रकार शेतकऱ्यांच्या जखमेवर मीठ चोळणे आहे. या नेत्यांनी एकतर हमीभाव सात हजार रुपये मिळवून द्यावा किंवा पदांचे राजीनामे तरी द्यावेत आणि रस्त्यावर येऊन आंदोलन करावे, असे आवाहन विदर्भ जनआंदोलन समितीने केले आहे. कापूस उत्पादक शेतकऱ्यांचे हाल आहेत, त्यांची दिवाळी अंधारात जाणार हे कटूसत्य आहे, अशी सार्वत्रिक प्रतिक्रिया आहे.

सत्ता पक्षांची कापसाचा हमीभावाची मागणी शेतकऱ्यांच्या जखमेवर मीठ चोळणारी विदर्भ जनआंदोलन समितीचा आरोप-लोकसत्ता

सत्ता पक्षांची कापसाचा हमीभावाची मागणी शेतकऱ्यांच्या जखमेवर मीठ चोळणारी
विदर्भ जनआंदोलन समितीचा आरोप-लोकसत्ता
नागपूर, १८ ऑक्टोबर/प्रतिनिधी

काँग्रेस व राष्ट्रवादी काँग्रेसची कापसाचा हमीभाव वाढवण्याची मागणी शेतकऱ्यांच्या जखमेवर मीठ चोळणारी असल्याचा आरोप विदर्भ जनआंदोलन समितीने केला आहे. त्याचवेळी विरोधी पक्षाच्या यात्रेवरही समितीने टीका केली आहे. सत्ताधारी पक्ष कापूस उत्पादक शेतकऱ्यांच्या प्रश्नावर आपली पोळी शेकण्याचा प्रयत्न करीत असताना विरोधी पक्ष या प्रश्नावर मौन बाळगून आहे. अशावेळी या कापूस उत्पादक शेतकऱ्याने कुणाकडे दाद मागायची, असा प्रश्न समितीचे किशोर तिवारी यांनी केला आहे.
ज्या काँग्रेस व राष्ट्रवादी काँग्रेसने कापसाचा हमीभाव फक्त ३०० रुपयाने वाढवून ३ हजार ३०० व ज्या सरकारने निर्यात धोरण शेतकरी विरोधी करून शेतकऱ्यांना गेल्यावर्षी दोन हजार कोटीचे आर्थिक नुकसान सहन करण्यास बाध्य केले, त्याच काँग्रेस व राष्ट्रवादी काँग्रेसच्या महाराष्ट्रातील सत्तेचे पद भूषवणारे सरकार व पक्षामध्ये पदाधिकारी असलेले नेते एकमेकांची चढाओढ करत कापसाला ७ हजार रुपये प्रतिक्विंटल तर दुसरा ६ हजार रुपये प्रतिक्विंटल हमीभाव मिळावा, अशी मागणी आपल्याच सरकारला करत आहेत. ५२ लाख हेक्टरमधील कोरडवाहू कापसाचे पीक बुडाले असताना व्यापारी खुलेआम लूट करत असल्यामुळे या नेत्यांची हमीभाव वाढवण्याची मागणी शेतकऱ्यांच्या जखमेवर मीठ चोळणारी असून या नेत्यांनी हिंमत असेल तर त्यांच्या पदाचा व पक्षाचा राजीनामा देऊन शेतकऱ्यांच्या प्रामाणिक प्रश्नावर रस्त्यावर यावे, अशी मागणी केली आहे

Land Development Bank restarted Forcible Recovery of Seven Thousands Debt trapped Vidarbha Farmers

Land Development Bank restarted Forcible Recovery of Seven Thousands Debt trapped Vidarbha Farmers

NAGPUR: October 18 , 2011

Maharashtra Govt. issued fresh order of forceful recovery to already bankrupt Land Dev. Bank.(LDB) of selected more than 7000 cotton farmers what they classified these defaulting distressed farmers as ‘willful defaulter’ by auctioning TV, cycle like all household for recovery of long pending dues of around 27crore which was not covered in mega loan waiver packages of year 2008 and 2010 and issue of recovering ten times interest than original loan amount is till pending before High court other forum for redressal as the complete recovery of LD Bank is in contrary to basic provision of article 44 c of coop . law which bar these bank to recover the amount of debt more than double of the amount of original loan amount which is called as rule of ‘Damduppatti’ but some babus in the state Govt. has made issue of prestige and they are forcing the district bank to go ahead with this stringent inhuman disgraceful style of forceful recovery before festival season of ‘Diwali’ in fact they recovered more than 51 tractors of these selected defaulters in rainy season even Govt. has stopped such forceful recoveries .west vidarbha in which these maximum selected defaulter are located are under severe agrarian crisis and more than 8000 farmers committed suicides since June 2005 and Indian Govt. has declared numbers of relief packages amounting more than Rs.10,000 crore but failed address the issue as farmers suicides are till continued at rate of eight hourly one farm suicide hence Kishore Tiwari of cotton farmers’ advocacy group Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti-VJAS has flays the restarting of unwanted force recovery of LDB and urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Prathiviraj Chavan for urgent intervention and arrange for the requisite bailout package to these dying farmers in letter today.

‘As all selected defaulter are from agrarian crisis hit west vidarbha and CM own region western Maharashtra defaulters have been excluded from this forceful recovery ,this is uncalled unnecessary action provoking the distress farmers to kill themselves ,the issue LDB sickness and Nabard directives are not the new one hence ‘Bailout ‘ package to these excluded LDB defaulters is only solution that Babus are complicating hence we demand complete loan waiver to all LDB defaulter ’ Tiwari added.

Last year too Maharashtra Co-Operation and Marketing Minister Harshvardhan Patil had issued order of forcible recovery then in different style of Gandhigiri by beating drum before the house of short listed willful defaulters as Land development bank in a Naxal effected Gadchoroli district has given debt recovery notice to one debt trapped marginal farmer named Shivshankar Rajaram Adgela age-55 of village sironcha that bank officials would start Dharana Agitation before his house with drum beating and slogan shouting a since 10 a.m. to.5 p.m. on 5th October in order to recovery the 1992 tractor loan of Rs. One lakh eighty thousand of which he has returned one lakh fourty five thousand and that time they were demanding Nine Lakh twenty seven thousand which against the law of land that banker can’t recovery more than basic amount as part of interest but plan was misfired after big huge and cry of the media but issue is till pending with out solution .

‘The present orders apex bankers are totally contradictory to the earlier announcement of Co-Operation and Marketing Minister Harshvardhan Patil that The one-time settlement (OTS) will now be available till March 31, 2011 and now Chief Minister should intervene to stop this forcible recovery as this is not the time even if farmers wants to repay the loan under OTS ’Kishore Tiwari VJAS urged in press release today.

‘crisis driven LDB banks of west vidarbha is till awaiting Rs.446 crore of loan waiver amount paid to apex bank in march 2009 by NABARD moreover STATE Govt. failed to pay interest waiver 70% amount has not been paid already received in 2006 from central Govt. It’s apathy of Maharashtra Govt. that diverted the money to western Maharashtra and allowed these banks in vidrabh is become ‘bankrupt’ as even the OTS scheme which was announced by the state government in September 2007 for around 1.25 lakh members of the LDB and its branches, could not take off in west vidarbha and cotton farmers were kept out of OTS net ’Tiwari alleged.

‘Issue of the unpaid salary of around 550 LDB employees of vidarbha sine December 2009 has been interlinked with forcible recovery of outstanding due of dent trapped farmers and now as agrarian crisis are further deepen ,LDB cant go on interlinking both issues and Nabard and Maharashtra Govt. to settle the salary payment issue in order to avoid innocent victimization of debt trapped farmers ,those Govt. should continue legitimate action against willful defaulter as per recent announcement of cooperative minister’ Tiwari urged.

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Rahul’s Kalavati Daughter among six victim Vidarbha Agrarian Crisis Reported in 48 Hours

Rahul’s Kalavati Daughter among six victim Vidarbha Agrarian Crisis Reported in 48 Hours

Nagpur -17^th October 2011

India Prince Rahul Gandhi’s poverty icon vidarbha farm widow Kalavati Bandurkar’s daughter among two farmers and wife of dry land cotton farmer along with her two small kids are suicides reported in the dying field of vidarbha which is reeling under severe agrarian crisis since 2005 claiming more than 8400 farmers suicides taking toll 634 in the year 2011 alone ,these are victims of on going distress and despair resulting in suicides mainly due to debt, poverty hunger and poor health care services in the most backward region of Maharashtra.

Along with kalavati’s daughter's delayed report of suicide ,vidarbha rocked with news of another debt trapped farmers wife of village Tivali in Washim district namely Ujwala Batkal aged 26 killed herself with her two kids Aarti-6 years and Ganesh -2years as per news reported by daily SAKAL an others are Rajaraddy Nalawar of digras in yavatmal and Ganesh Doiphode of village Shendurjanabazar in Amaravati .

“We have been demanding urgent relief of food security ,health care and proper counseling to these distress families who have been identified by state Govt. in 2006 after door to door survey in order to follow directives of high court Mumbai in the PIL of VJAS and even after 5 years of recommendations Maharashtra Govt. failed to provide requisite relief to one million identified distressed families who are dent trapped having acute health problem and facing starvation hence these are not suicide ,are genocide done by the state” Kishore Tiwari of cotton farmers’ advocacy group Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti-VJAS informed in press release today.

As per news reported in LOKMAT ,Nagpur recently Rahul Gandhi’s vidarbha farm widow Kalavati Bandurkar’s daughter Savita Divakar Khamankar of village Ralegoan in Bhadravati Tahsil in Chandrapur district committed suicides due to poverty and failed to get health care in prolongned serious illness in last week of September but reported on 15^th October .she is second number daughter of Kalavati and this is third blow to her after her husband Parshuram Bndurkar committed suicide in 2005 her son-in –law Sanjay Kalaskar who committed suicide last year due to huge debt and economic crisis .

‘After meeting Kalavati in 2009, Rahul Gandhi during his speech in the Lok Sabha spoke of her life and how she and her village suffered without electricity, and contended “poverty is directly connected to energy security” and one NGO declared aid of Rs.25 lakh as fix deposit to her and she is getting interest on FD but even this huge relief aid in isolation to one widows has not even reduced despair and distress of her family that reason we have been demanding integrated rehabilitation all 8000 vidarbha farm widows who lost bread earner in this agrarian crisis but Govt. is not responding that unfortunate ’ Tiwari added..

VJAS has strongly flays recent demand congress party senior Minister in Maharashtra Govt. Shivajirao Moghe that central Govt. should raise Minimum Support Price MSP of cotton to Rs.7000/- per quintal as against Rs.3,300 per quintal fixed by Central Govt. for cotton season 2011-12 to UPA convener Smt.Sonia Gandhi who he met yesterday along with delegation of MLAs of west vidarbha after Maharashtra cotton marketing federation chairman Dr.N.P.Hirani has officially urged central Govt. earlier to raise cotton MSP to Rs.6000/- per quintal but the ground reality is central Govt. has shown dustbin to both letters and distressed and debt trapped cotton farmers are forced to sale their cotton in throw away price and are committing suicides that’s most unfortunate ” Tiwari added.

‘If NCP wants cotton farmers should get MSP of Rs.6,000/- then they should part with centre and state Govt .on this issue and same is the case with MPCC President Manikrao Thakare and all Ministers/MLAs of vidarbha should resign from party to save dying cotton growers who are committing suicides due economic losses after the crop failure this year .the current situation in west vidarbha and part of maharashtra is too worst to describe as cotton crop in around 52 lakhs hector has been failed and cotton growers in the region are in deep economic crisis needs urgent bailout package hence Cong.-NCP should stop political war of cotton MSP issue and ask Govt. to start procurement of cotton through CCI or NAFED ar the MSP Rs.6000/- per quintal’ VJAS demanded.

Congress –NCP Political War on Cotton MSP makes Mockery of Cotton Farmer’s Crisis-VJAS

Congress –NCP Political War on Cotton MSP makes Mockery of Cotton Farmer’s Crisis-VJAS

Nagpur -16^th October 2011

Recent demand congress party senior Minister in Maharashtra Govt. Shivajirao Moghe that central Govt. should raise Minimum Support Price MSP of cotton to Rs.7000/- per quintal as against Rs.3,300 per quintal fixed by Central Govt. for cotton season 2011-12 to UPA convener Smt.Sonia Gandhi who he met yesterday along with delegation of MLAs of west vidarbha , has initiated political war with it’s political partner NCP as NCP controlled Maharashtra cotton marketing federation chairman Dr.N.P.Hirani has officially urged central Govt. earlier to raise cotton MSP to Rs.6000/- per quintal by giving all logistic and economics behind the demand as CACP has not considered it while declaring the MSP has made mockery of 3 million cotton farmers who are committing suicides since 2005 due to agrarian crisis and this political war to take credit of non-doing will further aggravate the crisis resulting more farm suicides in west vidarbha , Kishore Tiwari of cotton farmers’ advocacy group Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti-VJAS who is demanding urgent revision in MSP and procurement of cotton by state owned agency NAFED informed in press release today .

“Earlier MPCC President Manikrao Thakare wrote to Prime Minister on this serious issue of injustice with cotton growers of region who are innocent victims of wring policies of central Govt. while declaring MSP by CACP which is controlled by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar , has ignored all norms all facts and declared MSP at Rs.3,300 under the pressure of textile lobby asked urged centre to raise it Rs.5000 per quintal and in reply to this NCP controlled Maharashtra cotton marketing federation wrote second letter to PMO demanding the revision of cotton MSP to Rs.6,000 per quintal but the ground reality is central Govt. has shown dustbin to both letters and distressed and debt trapped cotton farmers are forced to sale their cotton in throw away price and are committing suicides that’s most unfortunate ” Tiwari added.

‘If NCP wants cotton farmers should get MSP of Rs.6,000/- then they should part with centre and state Govt .on this issue and same is the case with MPCC President Manikrao Thakare and all Ministers/MLAs of vidarbha should resign from party to save dying cotton growers who are committing suicides due economic losses after the crop failure this year .the current situation in west vidarbha and part of maharashtra is too worst to describe as cotton crop in around 52 lakhs hector has been failed and cotton growers in the region are in deep economic crisis needs urgent bailout package hence Cong.-NCP should stop political war of cotton MSP issue and ask Govt. to start procurement of cotton through CCI or NAFED at the MSP Rs.6000/- per quintal’ VJAS demanded.

Vidarbha Farmers crucial meet ‘Kapus Parishad-Cotton Conclave’ on 13thocto. to discuss Cotton crisis :Maharashtra cotton farmers demands Rs.6000/- MSP

Vidarbha Farmers crucial meet ‘Kapus Parishad-Cotton Conclave’ on 13^thocto. to discuss Cotton crisis :Maharashtra cotton farmers demands Rs.6000/- MSP

Nagpur: 12^th October 2011

Amid reports that private traders have started buying cotton in open market from farmers at prices ranging between Rs. 4000 and Rs. 4500 a quintal Maharashtra cotton federation has been demanding the Govt. to raise cotton MSP @ Rs.6000/- as against Rs.3300/- ,Bhartiya Kisan Sabha(BKS) main left wing farmers union along with farm activists and economist in the field will be meeting on October 13 at Wani in Yavtmal district ,place known as farmers suicides capital of India where they will wok out a strategy on future agitation as more than 3 million dry land cotton farmers have already lost cotton crop over 2 million hector ,Kishore Tiwari of cotton farmers’ advocacy group Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti who is supporting proposed cotton conclave informed in press realease today.

Atul Anjaan National convener Bhartiya Kisan Sabha(BKS) ,vidarbha cotton farmers leader Kishor Tiwari ,Shirinivas Khandewale economist and Shivdas Utane Maharashtra unit president of BKS and Namdeo Gwande general secretary of Maharashtra BKS along with farm activist Tukaram Bhasme ,Prakash Reddy ,Adv.Devidas Kale ,Adv.Vinayal Ekare are participating in 13^th October cotton conclave ,Anil Ghate convener of this cotton conclave further added.

Cotton is the biggest cash crop grown in Vidarbha region and some parts of Marathwada and Khandesh. The price the crop gets decides the fate of three million families in the state which has the largest area under cotton crop in the country.

The Centre and the state government have indicated that they would not be in a position to pay more than Rs. 3300 a quintal as the minimum procurement price, a rate fixed two years ago. But farmers’ pressure groups like Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, which is one of participant of the conference, say the price is unfair as input costs have gone up in the last two years and so is the spiraling inflation, Demanding the domestic support price be hiked to Rs 4500, he said such a step could improve the state’s economy too as it depends a lot on cotton said Tiwari.

Vidarbha farmers supports Maharashtra cotton federation demand of Rs.6000/- MSP

The Maharashtra State Cotton Grower’s co-operative federation which once managed the unique monopoly cotton purchase scheme but now plays the role of commission agent for the central agency NAFED has put very strong demand of cotton growers by challenging the CACP decision of keeping cotton MSP @ Rs.3300 and urged Govt. to start cotton procurement @ Rs.6000 from start of season in the state which likely to commence from 24^th October but there is no positive response to this appeal hence farmers will decide future course of agitation ,Mohan Jadhav Farm activist further added..

KBC Vidarbha Farm Widow Threaten to commit suicide - Aparna Malikar’s urged Smt.Sonia Gandhi for intervention

KBC Vidarbha Farm Widow Threaten to commit suicide - Aparna Malikar’s urged Smt.Sonia Gandhi for intervention

Varha-kawadha -8^th October 2011

Vidarbha farm widow who is the news due to entry on hot seat on popular Hindi serial of ‘Sony TV -Kaun Banega Crorepati(KBC)’ Aprana Maliker has threaten to commit suicide along with her father and brother if atrocities done by local congress leader who his her brother of her husband and local police are not stopped .she has written letter to UPA chief Smt.Sonia Gandhi on Affidavit narrating her pathetic condition and grave injustice done after her husband committed suicide due crop failure and huge debt urging soniaji for urgent intervention in order to save dying family.

Narrating her saga in a letter farm widows has high lighted the plights of 8,000 vidarbha farm widows who are facing same fate after their husband are committing suicide as these widows are denied the right to cultivate and they are forced to leave the house and blamed for the tragedies asking UPA chief to create law to protect rights of farm wdows and provide complete rehabilitation package ,Aparna Malikar urged in a affidavit submitted to her.

Un folding her untold saga ,farm widows affidavit throw light on the fact that how the unfortunate death of husband of vidarbha farm widow who is victim of on going agrarian crisis happens to be the younger brother of Nagpur base congress leader and deputy mayor of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Politically very close to maharashtra home ministry Aaba Patil, can force farm widows to see her father and brother behind the bar and her removal from house before funeral of the diseased debt-trap farmer ,KBC’s fame Vidarbha Farm widow Aparna Malikar informed in letter on affidavit .

She adds in her letter that ‘My husband Sanjay Malikar was cultivating the family owned land since 2001 and he was official cultivator of the land as official revenue record but all income was shared by other brothers Raghunath,Sunil and Raju who are staying at Nagpur but when agrarian crisis started 2005 and cotton economy collapse ,heavy losses in Agriculture change the happy days turned in to gloomy one when debt started mounting creating fresh default with banks and harassment from the family members that forced him to kill himself but tragedy which has not darken by future but he has stuck to parent very badly when Raghunath Malikar used his political contacts and turned case farmers suicide in to culpable homicide lodging the FIR against my father Arun tathe and brother Amol Tathe and me too and police booked offence against us and arrested my father and brother ,they were behind the bar for more than 45 days ,it was not enough for these brothers who forced to out of my house and locked house but decided to live there only occupy the house and land and started cultivating it but atrocities are till continued and my parents are going to court and am also fighting legal battle to get my right of land .after the struggle of survival now I have got the strength and confidence to restart the life hence I joined open university to complete my matriculation .before the help from mega star Abhitabh Bachachan it was helping hand from P.sainath Mumbai and Adv.Amita Joseph New Delhi who helped me start cultivation and education of two daughters now KBC has changed my life but I an scared of past experience and pray the god not repeat the same ’ Aparna Malikar said .

‘when hundreds of vidarbha farm widows shared their experience this is common problem and serious plights farm widows of early 30s as most of widows are denied the land right and blamed for the suicide of husband and forced to leave the house ,if they are fighting for their legal land right they subjected for the severe atrocities and life is made miserable and civil society is mare spectators is most of cases hence we are demanding the proper rehabilitation and protection to all farm widows who are facing the similar problem like me.KBC can focus problem one Aparna but what about thousand of Aparnas who are dying before the death ’Malikar added.

‘when BigB asked ,you are widow but till you are wearing ‘Mangalsutra’ ,my answer was to protect from society this is must ,he was shocked and touched but I was cool as this was simple question for me and for all widows who lost husband in early 30s as well. KBC has given the opportunity to civil society to respond to answer and we are victims of the decision of our father to select farmer as our life partner when we are told that India in last decade more than two lacs fourty thousand farmer killed themselves and vidarbha has been farm suicide capital of India ,I will request all parents not marry their beloved daughter to cotton farmer of vidarbha to avoid humiliation, gloom and despondency and jail too.’ Aparna urged.

‘The joy of being celebrity of KBC was short-lived when VJAS activist came to house in night and told me that Raghunath Malikar has claimed that his younger brother was not farmer and he was never debt-trapped asked me more over he also informed that I am not farm widows too ,Activist asked me give all papers and bank notice copy too which I gave him, we are now very much scared as I don’t want any more police custody to father and brother and I want live peaceful life with two daughter even without KBC price money and if we are not saved from on going atrocities we will forced to committee suicide ’ Aparna Malikar added in her affidavit cum letter addressed to Smt.Soniaji Gandhi.

Posted by VIDARBHA FARMER SUICIDE at 12:04 PM

KBC Vidarbha farm widow's saga -When to fight, when to quit-Telegraph

KBC Vidarbha farm widow's saga -When to fight, when to quit-Telegraph

KBC Vidarbha farm widow's saga -When to fight, when to quit-Telegraph

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111003/jsp/frontpage/story_14582231.jsp#

Thursday, 8.27pm. Wara Kavtha village in Maharashtra’s farmer suicide belt. Aparna Malikar’s home is buzzing.

Seven-year-old Rohini paces the dimly lit rooms impatiently: how can three minutes take so long? At 8.30, mother Aparna will be on Kaun Banega Crorepati, and half the village seems to have turned up at the three-room mud-and-brick house, one of the few with a TV.

They all know the result, of course: the 27-year-old farm widow, mother of two and a cotton grower, has made them proud. That’s why this tiny village in Yavatmal district wants to join Aparna in watching her moment of glory, seated across host Amitabh Bachchan at the KBC special, Doosra Mauka (second chance).

Rohini shouts at her grandfather, Arun Tathe, who is surfing channels. “Go back to Sony!” He smiles and obliges.

The only peaceful expressions are on the faces of younger sister Samruddhi, 4, who was asleep, and their father Sanjay, gazing down benignly from a framed photograph on the wall.

Aparna looks buoyant. After the September 10 recording, she says, Big B sent her a cheque as a personal gift. “He had promised me Rs 50,000,” Aparna says. “I was surprised to find a cheque for Rs 1 lakh. I am deeply moved.”

The actor wrote on his blog: “I am afraid there is not much that can be said after my time spent among the ‘bleeding hearts’ on this wonderful programme.”

KBC had chosen Aparna from among 10 farm widows from this region. The 10 were recommended by Kishor Tiwari of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, a farmers’ movement.

“Their team came to interview me here; I was given a questionnaire to fill,” Aparna recalls. Mother Leelabai whispers she hasn’t seen her daughter smile so much in the eight years since her marriage.

Marriage had meant work, loans, quarrels. Then, in August 2008, Sanjay drank pesticide at nearby Patanbori. Rohini was four years old then, her sister just nine months. Aparna says she still wears her mangalsutra “to protect myself from society”.

But it’s cheering time now. It’s 8.30. KBC, Bachchan’s baritone informs the audience, wants to give Aparna a second chance to live her life.

First, however, Big B must see through an overnight contestant, Sanjay Kumar from Bihar, who’s playing “very well”. The packed TV room in Aparna’s home can’t wait any more.

8.45pm. Disaster! The lights go off. “Load-shedding!” shouts one of the kids. “Keep quiet. It won’t be long,” an elder admonishes. He’s right. At 8.50, the lights are back. But a commercial break is playing spoilsport. The wait continues.

Challenges

After Sanjay’s suicide, Aparna’s challenges multiplied. She says her three Nagpur-based brothers-in-law tried to get her to leave the house so they could grab her land.

Two weeks after the suicide, one of her brothers-in-law lodged a police complaint accusing Aparna’s father Arun and brother Amol of pushing Sanjay towards death. The same brother-in-law, Aparna says, was with her husband when he killed himself.

“They were harassing us so that my daughter gives up the farmland,” Arun says. According to Aparna, the bone of contention is a 16-acre field that she and her husband cultivated till his death, and which she cultivates now. The entire village stood by her.

Arun and Amol spent 10 days in jail on charges of abetting suicide and common intention before securing bail. Police produced a suicide note found on Sanjay that accused his in-laws of harassing and threatening him, but the defence argued the letter had been planted. The case is in trial stage at the sessions court in Pandharkavda, a cotton-trading town 40km down National Highway 7.

Sanjay’s eldest brother, Raghunath Malikar, is an NCP-turned-Congress leader and a former mayor of Nagpur, where his wife is a councillor. After the recording of the KBC show, Raghunath allegedly wrote to the producers saying Aparna was a widow but not a “farm widow”.

The land record (7/12 document), though, shows her as a cultivator and says the land under contention is in her possession.

“She is a very hardworking farmer; it’s not easy to manage a 16-acre field, pay loans, and also raise children,” says sarpanch Nirmala Gore.

Bees and bats

The 21-inch TV screen is now showing Bachchan walking Aparna to the hot seat. “I felt so nervous,” Aparna giggles at the memory. She had never ventured beyond Yavatmal. “But Amitabh sir comforted me. I thought I was in a dream.”

She was accompanied to Mumbai by her father and Manjusha Amberwar, a journalism student from Nagpur whose father, a farmer, had committed suicide in 1998 in Yavatmal. Arun says the trip was thrilling. “I had never seen a plane. We flew to Mumbai.”

The game starts. Aparna sets Rs 1.6 lakh as the first target, or Man Chaha Padav.

Question 1, for Rs 5,000: What is the home of bees called in Hindi? Aparna goes for the first lifeline: audience poll. “Chhatta” is the answer. Aparna says she knew its Marathi name. “It’s called a moharu.”

Question 2 (Rs 10,000): Which of these sports is usually played on a non-rectangular field? Aparna opts for her second lifeline: expert advice. Economist Ajit Ranade, the invited expert, comes to her rescue. Cricket, of course.

Aware that the kids watching at her home would be incredulous that she had failed to grab such a lolly, Aparna sheepishly says: “I knew both the answers, but I was so nervous!”

Quiet, hush! Question 3 (Rs 20,000): Which of these animals has black and white stripes? Aparna’s cool as cucumber. Zebra’s the answer. Rohini sits up straight.

Next. Which of these diseases is called chhoti maa or khasra? Rs 40,000 at stake. The youngest of three siblings, Aparna had dropped out after Class X.

The clock ticks. Big B repeats the question. Aparna is thinking. At her home, there’s a sudden quiet.

“Measles,” she finally says, struggling to pronounce the word. The audiences at the Mumbai studio and Wara Kavtha clap.

Question 5 (Rs 80,000): Which political party elected Nitin Gadkari its president in 2009? Aparna goes for the third lifeline: phone-a-friend.

“Computerji” connects to Tiwari, the Samiti activist. It’s easy for him: the BJP.

The next question is crucial: it’s the Man Chaha Padav: get it right and you go home with at least Rs 1.6 lakh.

According to Hindu mythology, which of these would you associate with Kurukshetra? The answer is “C” — the Mahabharata.

Bachchan writes out a cheque. Commercial break.

‘Ineligible’ suicide

The money will help Aparna pay off the bulk of her loans. She never got the Rs 1 lakh state compensation because Sanjay’s was not an “eligible suicide”.

To the Maharashtra government, a farmer’s suicide is “eligible” if the victim ended his or her life for “agrarian reasons”. The criteria: outstanding bank loans; cultivator or land ownership status; and no reason for distress other than agrarian.

But loans from private moneylenders don’t count — and Sanjay owed them Rs 2 lakh. He also owed Rs 50,000 to the Union Bank, but it had been taken as a housing loan because, as a defaulter farmer, he would not get a crop loan, Aparna says.

That he had suffered losses in back-to-back years didn’t count. And his brothers won’t accept it as a farm suicide, either. So, officially, Sanjay’s suicide was prompted by “domestic reasons”.

“We would fight, yes, but which couple don’t? How could I see him die slowly, bit by bit every day, from the tension of loans?” asks Aparna.

“Till 2005, my husband was not an alcoholic,” she says as several villagers nod. “He was always worried about loans; I would fight with him, telling him that liquor will only worsen our problems.”

More than 70 per cent of suicides after 2008, the year the Centre gave a one-time loan waiver to farmers, have been classified “ineligible”.

In his blog, Bachchan says he has no words to express his anguish at Aparna’s struggle. “But there it was. Stark, brutal and honest,” he writes.

Last lap

Question 7 (Rs 3.2 lakh): Identify the hero from this audio clip. Aparna smiles, perhaps for the first time on the show: she knows Salman Khan’s voice. Right answer! She can now clear her loans altogether and set up the beauty parlour that has been her dream.

Which freedom fighter is also known as Lokmanya? Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Bachchan hands her a cheque for Rs 6.4 lakh.

Now, Big B is admiringly chatting with Aparna. He poses the next question: number 9, for Rs 12.5 lakh. Which seer is believed to have written over 4,000 abhangas, most of which were addressed to the god Vithoba of Pandharpur?

Long silence. Aparna is contemplating the four options. She has one lifeline left: double dip. Bachchan gauges her dilemma and tells her to play only if she’s absolutely sure. After a while, Aparna says she wants to quit.

Sure? She repeats she wants to quit. The actor asks the audience to clap one last time.

Now, if she were to guess the answer, which option would she choose, Bachchan asks. “Sant Tukaram,” says Aparna. That would have been the correct choice!

At her home, Aparna tells the villagers she was not certain, that’s why she quit.

It’s 10pm. The show’s over. The villagers leave, praising and patting her. Aparna comes out of her reverie. More daunting questions lie ahead in life. Only, lifelines are rare and quitting is never an option.

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