URGENT FLASH-Another Seventh Vidarbha Farmers suicides reported

URGENT FLASH

Another Seventh Vidarbha Farmers suicides reported :Vidarbha Farm Widows to start indefinite Fast to get Relief Aid

Nagpur -5^th November 2009

The for Sattapalli village in yavatmal has resulted in to black morning as it has brought darkness in the family of cotton farmer Bhumanna Mangawar who consumed pesticide and committed suicide due huge debt and crop failure leaving behind his wife and four daughter .here are the some photos of which are disturbing

Earlier reports-

When all congress NCP leaders are busy in grabbing creamy ministerial post ,six more(now seven) drought hit west vidarbha cotton farmers killed themselves due to cotton crop failure taking toll to 852 in year 2009 ,Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti informed in press note today.

Recent victims of vidarbha agrarian crisis are

1.Vinod Sonurle of Dhotra in Wardha

2.Namdeo Raut of Jarud in Amaravati

3.Manik Deshamukh of Karada in Washim

4.Sachin Kadu of Bharsawala in Wardha

5.Mahesh Walshinge of Divdhana in Akola

6.Mohan Urkude of Rudha n Yavatmal

7.Bhumanna Mangawar of sattapalli in yavatmal

In vidarbha cotton crop failure severity is too serious to explain as per Marketing Federation fresh estimates cotton yield will not cross 125 lacs quintals as against 350 lacs quintals there own predicaments due to drought condition and erratic and short fall rain in monsoon .maharashtra cotton growers set to loose more than Rs.4000 crore cotton crop and this year complete sowing is Bt. Cotton ,there is demand of Rs.10,000 per hector compensation to all cotton growers as done in year 2006 coupled fresh loan waiver to the cotton farmers who lost complete crop due pest epidemic, Tiwari added.

“It’s unfortunate last 78 days there is no Govt. in maharashtra and administration has not taken single step to address the burning problem of potable water ,food and fodder and rural vidarbha not single work of NREGA is being done and this has added fuel despair and gloom in rural west vidarbha which is in the grip of agrarian crisis since 2005 and Govt. is claiming large successes of relief packages and loan waiver that another sad saga of hostile functioning ” Kishore Tiwari added.

Vidarbha Farm Widows to start Indefinite Fast to Get Relief aid

Now to get relief to dying vidarbha farmers ,vidarbha farm widows association has decided to start indefinite fast agitation from 11^th November , Bebitai bais announced in press release today .

‘We demand food security, potable water in all villages ,fodder for cattle and work under NREGA to every distressed families and free health care to critical ill members of farmers families ,these long pending demands and not being attended even after being recommend by all panels and study group appointed by sate administration ” Bebitai added.

Now ,we are also starting “save farmer movement” to campaign sustainable low cost food crop farming ,rain water harvesting ,chemical free farming and liquor free vidarbha ,bebitai bais announced today .

“Hundreds of vidarbha farm widows will recalled Rahul Gandhi’s promise of rehabilitation of 7000 vidarbha farm widows in his recent yavatmal election visit” Bebitai bais added.

Six more Vidarbha Farmers suicides in last two days :Vidarbha Farm Widows to start Indefinite Fast to get Relief Aid

Six more Vidarbha Farmers suicides in last two days :Vidarbha Farm Widows to start Indefinite Fast to get Relief Aid

Nagpur -5^th November 2009

When all congress NCP leaders are busy in grabbing creamy ministerial post ,six more drought hit west vidarbha cotton farmers killed themselves due to cotton crop failure taking toll to 852 in year 2009 ,Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti informed in press note today.

Recent victims of vidarbha agrarian crisis are

1.Vinod Sonurle of Dhotra in Wardha

2.Namdeo Raut of Jarud in Amaravati

3.Manik Deshamukh of Karada in Washim

4.Sachin Kadu of Bharsawala in Wardha

5.Mahesh Walshinge of Divdhana in Akola

6.Mohan Urkude of Rudha n Yavatmal

In vidarbha cotton crop failure severity is too serious to explain as per Marketing Federation fresh estimates cotton yield will not cross 125 lacs quintals as against 350 lacs quintals there own predicaments due to drought condition and erratic and short fall rain in monsoon .maharashtra cotton growers set to loose more than Rs.4000 crore cotton crop and this year complete sowing is Bt. Cotton ,there is demand of Rs.10,000 per hector compensation to all cotton growers as done in year 2006 coupled fresh loan waiver to the cotton farmers who lost complete crop due pest epidemic, Tiwari added.

“It’s unfortunate last 78 days there is no Govt. in maharashtra and administration has not taken single step to address the burning problem of potable water ,food and fodder and rural vidarbha not single work of NREGA is being done and this has added fuel despair and gloom in rural west vidarbha which is in the grip of agrarian crisis since 2005 and Govt. is claiming large successes of relief packages and loan waiver that another sad saga of hostile functioning ” Kishore Tiwari added.

Vidarbha Farm Widows to start Indefinite Fast to Get Relief aid

Now to get relief to dying vidarbha farmers ,vidarbha farm widows association has decided to start indefinite fast agitation from 11^th November , Bebitai bais announced in press release today .

‘We demand food security, potable water in all villages ,fodder for cattle and work under NREGA to every distressed families and free health care to critical ill members of farmers families ,these long pending demands and not being attended even after being recommend by all panels and study group appointed by sate administration ” Bebitai added.

Now ,we are also starting “save farmer movement” to campaign sustainable low cost food crop farming ,rain water harvesting ,chemical free farming and liquor free vidarbha ,bebitai bais announced today .

“Hundreds of vidarbha farm widows will recalled Rahul Gandhi’s promise of rehabilitation of 7000 vidarbha farm widows in his recent yavatmal election visit” Bebitai अद्देद.

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करोड़ों का खनन पट्टा कौडि़यों में हथियाया-जागरण

करोडों का खनन पत्ता कौडियों में हथियाया
ठ्ठ ओमप्रकाश तिवारी, मुंबई महाराष्ट्र में सरकार के गठन से पहले ही कांग्रेस के लिए मुसीबतें खड़ी होने लगी हैं। झारखंड के पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री मधु कोड़ा के अरबों रुपए के घोटाले से मुंबई के कुछ नेताओं के जुड़ाव की खबरों के बाद अब प्रदेश कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष माणिकराव ठाकरे का नाम एक बड़ा खनिज भूखंड घोटाला सामने आया है। महाराष्ट्र सरकार ने उनके गृह जिले यवतमाल में करोड़ों का खनिज पट्टा कौडि़यों के मोल उनके पुत्र के हवाले कर दिया है। यवतमाल के एक सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता विलास वानखेड़े को सूचना अधिकार कानून के तहत यह जानकारी हासिल हुई कि किसानों की सर्वाधिक आत्महत्या वाले विदर्भ के इस जिले का 422 एकड़ का खनिज संपदा वाला भूखंड प्रदेश कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष एवं कांग्रेस जिला अध्यक्ष के पुत्रों को कौडि़यों के मोल आवंटित कर दिया गया है। भूखंड की वास्तविक कीमत तकरीबन 88 करोड़ 40 लाख रुपए है एवं उसमें छिपे कच्चे चूने, कोयले व डोलोमाइट की कीमत का तो अभी अनुमान लगना भी बाकी है। यवतमाल के झरी जामनी तालुका के तहत डोंगरगांव गांव की इस जमीन का मालिकाना हक कभी यहां के मूल निवासी कृष्णा व राघोबा ठाकरे नामक दो भाइयों के पास था। कुछ दशक पहले सरकार ने उपयोग न होने का कारण दिखाकर जमीन अधिग्रहीत कर ली थी। गत वर्ष 7 जनवरी 2008 को सरकार ने खनिज संपदा के खनन के लिए भूखंड लीज पर देने की अधिसूचना जारी की। इस पर अंबुजा सीमेंट,उत्तम स्टील, कुनी लाइम मिनिरल्स (उड़ीसा), मोमेंट इस्पात प्रा. लि. दिल्ली समेत 55 कंपनियों के आवेदन प्राप्त हुए। एक संयुक्त आवेदन प्रदेश कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष माणिकराव ठाकरे के पुत्र अतुल ठाकरे एवं हालिया विस चुनाव में जीते यवतमाल कांग्रेस के अध्यक्ष वामनराव कासावार के पुत्र प्रवीण वामन कासावार का भी था। आवेदकों में कृष्णा एवं राघोजी ठाकरे बंधुओं का पौत्र राजेश ठाकरे भी शामिल था, जिनका कभी इस जमीन पर वास्तविक मालिकाना हक हुआ करता था। राजेश पेशे से इंजीनियर है। मुख्यमंत्री अशोक चह्वाण ने विस चुनाव से कुछ ही माह पहले ये भूखंड स्थानीय बेरोजगारों को रोजगार देने के नाम पर नेता पुत्रों को आवंटित कर दिया। राजेश के आवेदन पर ध्यान भी नहीं दिया जबकि वह परिवार भी माणिकराव एवं वामनराव की तरह ही स्थानीय है और अब गुरबत में दिन गुजार रहा है। पता चला है राज्य सरकार को अतुल एवं प्रवीण का आवेदन आवंटन अधिसूचना जारी होने की तिथि से पहले ही प्राप्त हो गया था।
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Cotton yield may drop drastically-TIMES OF INDIA

Cotton yield may drop drastically

TNN 3 November 2009, 06:45am IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Cotton-yield-may-drop-drastically/articleshow/5191206.cms

"Bad days are ahead for cotton growers," agreed Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti's Kishore Tiwari. His worst fear is that the suicide rate, which was falling in the last couple of years, may raise its ugly head again. "In districts where farm credit was disbursed liberally, farmers may default and recovery will be very difficult for the banks," said Tiwari.

NAGPUR: Contrary to initial estimates of a bumper crop of 350 lakh quintals, cotton is expected to take a big hit because of scanty and irregular monsoon this year. For Vidarbha farmers, yet to come out of the distress situation despite relief packages and loan waivers, this would mean a fresh crisis as both the main kharif cash crops of cotton and soyabean have failed this year. Crop losses in cotton could go up to 60%.

"We were expecting a very good cotton crop because the area under crop cultivation had registered a big jump to around 34 lakh hectares in the cotton belt of Vidarbha, Marathwada and Khandesh," admitted state cotton growers cooperatives federation chairman N P Hirani. Many farmers had shifted from soyabean to cotton for two reasons - the better support price of around Rs 3,000 a quintal announced last year by the government and losses in soyabean because of infestation.

Normally cotton is grown in around 22 lakh hectares in the state which has the country's biggest cotton growing area even though in terms of yields it lags behind Gujarat and Punjab. While the federation and the state was expecting a yield of 350 lakh quintals as almost all farmers have now taken to Bt cotton, revised estimates indicate that it may barely cross 200 lakh quintals. Fears of poor arrival already have fuelled open market prices and it may touch a new record of over Rs 3500 a quintal this year.

"Bad days are ahead for cotton growers," agreed Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti's Kishore Tiwari. His worst fear is that the suicide rate, which was falling in the last couple of years, may raise its ugly head again. "In districts where farm credit was disbursed liberally, farmers may default and recovery will be very difficult for the banks," said Tiwari. However, he also talked of private traders paying a high price Rs 3150 at Wani.

"That means, farmers will prefer to sell to private traders for a better price. The federation cannot pay over and above Rs 2850 for the average grade and Rs 3000 for the best quality. Last year we could purchase over 160 lakh quintals on behalf of NAFED because we paid more than the private traders. But this year we may not get a similar response," said Hirani.

The federation is launching its purchase season on November 5. " After the formal inauguration at Wardha that day, we will open purchase centres only at district places. If arrivals improve we will start purchasing at taluka level and eventually, if required, increase to around 100 collection centres," said Hirani. "We have the mandate to protect farmers' interest at the minimum support price. But we can't prevent them from selling elsewhere for a better price."
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Journalism for sale-The Hindu

Date:31/10/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/10/31/stories/2009103153620800.htm Back Opinion - Editorials Journalism for sale India’s elections, which in mid-2009 brought 415 million voters to the 1.18 million ballot units in 834,944 polling stations and were mostly peaceful, may be one of the wonders of the world. But it is widely understood that in 2009 the free, fair, and democratic attributes of these elections have been compromised as never before by the large-scale, illegal, and scandalous use of money power — which, to a considerable extent, involved recycled dirty money garnered through corruption in executive and legislative office. The role of the Election Commission of India in curbing booth capturing, intimidation of voters, and some other kinds of electoral fraud has won public appreciation. But as P. Sainath points out in his article, “The medium, message and the money,” published in The Hindu on October 26, 2009, “it is hard to find a single instance of rigorous or deterrent action” by the ECI in the face of such a serious danger to the democratic process. That is a large question that needs to be addressed in depth and in all its complexity by the various players in the political system. The new shame is the extensive and brazen participation of not insignificant sections of the news media, notably large-circulation Indian language newspapers in two of India’s largest States, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, in this genre of corruption — which a politician speaking at a Hyderabad media seminar memorably characterised as a “Cash Transfer Scheme” from politicians to journalists. Sainath’s article exposes the phenomenon of “coverage packages” exploding across India’s most industrialised State during the recent Assembly election. Candidates paid newspapers different rates for well-differentiated and streamlined packages of news coverage. Those who could not or would not pay for the packages tended to be blacked out. The Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists has, on the basis of a sample survey conducted in West Godavari district, estimated that newspapers across the State netted Rs. 350 crore to Rs. 400 crore through editorial coverage sold to candidates during the 2009 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Some candidates even recorded the expenditure incurred in purchasing editorial coverage in their official accounts submitted to the ECI. With some senior journalists drawing its attention to this new-fangled cash transfer scheme in Andhra Pradesh, the Press Council of India has constituted a two-member committee to inquire into the matter. What to do about such a shocking breach of readers’ trust (which is unlikely to be confined to Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra) by the so-called Fourth Estate will form the subject of a follow-up editorial. © Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu

Maharashtra chief Minister Ashok chavan Gifted Rs.88 crore Land to MPCC chief Manikrao Thakare- Tarun Bharat Nagpur Reports

Maharashtra chief Minister Ashok chavan Gifted Rs.88 crore Land to MPCC chief Manikrao Thakare- Tarun Bharat Nagpur Reports

Nagpur base Marathi daily Tarun Bharat reported today that in rich mining land located in wani assembly segment of yavatmal has been alloted to MPCC chief manikrao Thakare along with recently elected MLA and DCC Yavatmal chief Wamanrao Kasawar .local activist vilas wankhede has got details of this illegal land allotment under RTI act.
This is recent land scam done by most corrupt chief minister who has alleged to have gifted more than 1000 hector mining land to ambani's before the election in same patch of yavatmal district.chief minister ashok chavan has floated all rules and conditions while giving this out of turn allotment of Rs.88 crore land to MPCC chief Manikrao Thakare is matter of misuse of power and corruption

Tatun bharat has asked for details investigation of land allotment to these MPCC chief and local MLA which is matter serious concern.

WHY BJP HERO TO ZERO IN YAVATMAL-TARUN BHARAT DETAIL REPORT

WHY BJP HERO TO ZERO IN YAVATMAL-TARUN BHARAT DETAIL REPORT

Farm activist Kishore Tiwari of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti is livid at the election results. “The Congress contested this election with the ugly tag of 7234 farm suicides in Vidarbha since 2004. But the opposition was on the back foot. The BJP-Sena failed to take advantage of voters’ unrest because of infighting and failure to check the ruling parties’ game-plan to systematically divide the saffron votes,” said Tiwari. “The election was stagemanaged with all major parties sailing in the same boat.
Irrespective of political divide, these leaders are more keen on protecting interests of cash-rich industrialists, builders and not that of the general public. Top leaders of the opposition wanted the same government to return to power so that their business contracts for toll collection, power plants and SEZ continued. But sadly this is happening at the cost of thousands of cotton farmers who died because of the government’s wrong policies,” said Tiwari.