Daily Bhaskar: Ahmedabad:
Sunday, April 28, 2013.
“With my namaskar to the chief minister, I
wish to say that I’m a small farmer of Khijdad village. Because of the
difficult situation, I had taken a loan to buy seeds to sow. The failed monsoon
led to a failed crop. Now the bank and others, from whom I had borrowed, are
harassing me to pay back. I am having difficulty making ends meet. Your
government too has not helped with money or a kit or seeds. How can I feed an
eight-member family?
The bank is
threatening to have me arrested and foreclose and auction my land. My 2005
insurance policy has come due, but that too has not been released by the state
government. (Farmers are forced to pay a 15% insurance premium when they ask
for crop loans. This should cover the losses in case of crop failure. But even
this money has not been paid to farmers). You pay a dearness allowance to salaried
people, but wish to kill off all your farmers. Neither BJP nor Congress gives
any aid to farmers. I wish to bring to the chief minister’s attention that
30-40 farmers have already committed suicide. Some have been given a
(post-death) help of Rs1 lakh. With the high cost of seeds, fertilizers and
labour, what will the sum of Rs1 lakh cover?
This
government has been unjust to farmers. Wherever and whenever one looks around,
you are organizing lok melas at the cost of millions. You take the public’s money
and the farmers’ money and your ministers fritter it away on these melas. For
such jamborees, there is always money available but when a farmer comes for
aid, we are told that the government treasury is empty. If an industrialist
wants land, this is made available overnight, but if we farm in fallow
government land we are penalised. In such a climate, it is impossible for a
farmer to survive. Your government continues to be unfair and unjust with
farmers.”
This letter
was written by Aniruddhsinh Togaji Jadeja on October 3, 2012. A few hours
later, he committed suicide.
A couple of
months earlier, August CRANTI (Citizens Resource and Action Initiative)
organised a rally in Ahmedabad. About 200 farmers sent a memorandum for help as
scarcity hit farmers, to the chief minister. Nothing happened. A few weeks
later an RTI was filed asking for details of suicides and the causes. Data was
released in November of 135 suicides over past four years. Meanwhile, farmers
continued killing themselves. In March this year, CRANTI organised a dharna
with farmers at the district collector’s office in Surendranagar asking that
Rs5 lakh be given to farmers who had committed suicide due to the draught; that
all farmers in the affected areas be given Rs 30,000 per acre as compensation
for failed crops; that all loans taken in the current year by farmers in the
affected areas be waived; that cattle camps be started to save them and that
landless labour be given work to survive. The collector accepted the demands
and sent them to the home ministry. Nothing happened.
Meanwhile in
August, the chief minister declared relief for drought-affected farmers. In
November, post monsoon, the areas were declared healthy and help was cancelled.
In March this year, the same areas were once again declared affected!
Another slew
of RTIs wanted information on which villages and districts were affected; under
what heads money had been allocated for cattle feed, irrigation and water; what
steps had been taken for loan waivers, and what had happened to the Rs864 crore
given to the state by the centre for loan waivers. Except for getting the list
of affected villages, all other information was refused. CRANTI has filed
appeals.
Meanwhile,
the governor has asked the state government for the same data. What has
transpired is still a mystery as farmers await another monsoon and compensation
from last year. Business in Gandhinagar goes on as usual, with more jamborees
planned, perhaps this time even in 5D instead of 3!
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