Nowadays we have immense debate over the plight of agriculture. The irony is that country is continuously witnessing suicide attempt by our farming community. Congress and ruling party BJP both are on opposite side over these issues, which emerged out of this oldest profession. The tussle started from the controversial land acquisition bill originally mooted by its predecessor UPA govt, which is now being amended by present NDA govt. Second, the ill time rain accompanied with hailstorm have almost depleted the rabi crop especially wheat throughout the country. We all know agriculture, which still remains a loss making profession and over this hard reality, the weather God had brought a cruelty through untimely rains, which crippled the all aspirations of farmers. However, the Modi government which is continuously being attacked by the opposition over the land acquisition bill, has announced hefty increase in the compensation amount given to the farmers for the their crop damage. It has also relaxed down the compensation norms from above 50 percent loss to even now 33 percent loss of the crop. Third issue is the farmers' suicide which started in year 2000 around and has been continuously going on. The party, which is ruling both Maharashtra and Rashtra both faces this turbulence which they were once vehemently opposing. Let start this mega issue from the land acquisition bill. This bill was drafted by previous UPA Govt. after long consultation with many groups of farming community as well as political groups. The newly incumbent Modi ministry has slashed the provision of 70 percent consentment of farmers while acquisition and in place of this, it claims to hike the compensation amount by four times of the market value of land. On the contrast, Congress party says that right to property is a fundamental right, so is the land ownership. So violating the fundamental right is being done just for protecting the interest of big corporates.
In the wake of growing urbanization and industrialization, there is much possibility that in coming period the land lying in the urban area or in its outskirts area to be very costlier. Once the land being acquired by the corporate, they will have a very high appreciation of the purchased land. But on this allegation Modi government says that it is not in favor of giving or allotting acquired land to the corporate, rather it will utilize it in making roads, schools and hospitals' building, irrigational project etc.
The thing is that in the wake of growing urbanization and industrialization, there is much possibility that in coming period the land lying in the urban area or in its outskirt areas to be very costlier. Once the land being acquired by the corporate, they will have a very high appreciation of the purchased land. But on this allegation Modi government says that it is not in favor of giving or allotting acquired land to the corporate, rather it will utilize it in making roads, schools and hospitals' building, irrigational project etc. When we go into the deep perspective of this land acquisition amendment bill, there are many question which get arise. First, we have had a long pending issue of land reform in the country. The condition was such when around 70 percent of land was concentrated in 30 percent rich population and 70 percent of population comprised of landless laborers, marginal and small farmers having only 30 percent of land. Many efforts from the government as well Acharya Vinoba Bhave sponsored famous bhudan movement could not finish the task of redistribution of land and finally the goal of land reform was to be found in the just cold bags. Till the coming of 1990s, this issue came in the oblivion and because of continuous lowering of land size and its being a less margin profession , people automatically get detracted from the cultivation and so in the course of time issue of land reform get dimmed and so for the political parties also this issue had no meaning to continue. Nevertheless, after 2 decades of spending of time until then, the growing industrialization and urbanization has made the issue of land acquisition a very hot one.
However, both issues have difference of context. The urbanization and industrialization has given opportunity to all those land and its owners lying in the urban area or it outskirts area, so same land has a value in crores. Whereas same land lying in the remote and tribal area has even no value in thousands, wheras the land is the same but the opportunity is different. Second the purchaser of land whether it is realtors, developers, or any sort of promoter after making investment over these land, gets many time more appreciation. So, here both have win win situation but latter is earning many times more that former. So our point is first to deliver justice to the remote land holders who is entangled in cycle of poverty, whereas the other has availability of unearned profit and purchasers have more than that. Second thing is that the right to sell the land by its owners should be always respected except in some unavoidable circumstances like strategic matters and etc. There is no reason behind keeping 70 percent clause. Either you keep 100 percent clause for protecting the fundamental rights of property or you keep 0 percent clause if you have real urgency for the development. We want farmers should be always given option to have a land in displacement situation. Second in case of purchasins land by the corporate, there should be concept of land bank, where purchasing and selling of land should be fixed by a quasi- judicial authority, where there should be no any problem.
Many says after purchasing and acquiring land, the corporates do not finish the project immediately and try to gain the appreciable value of the purchased land only. I think in this case, if the land purchased for any project not being utilized within a year, it should have sharing of appreciating value between corporate and previous land owner. It is reported that all around 5 lakh hactares of land is unutilized for last 10 years, been acquired for the SEZ project. This is gross injustice to the farmers. Third option is, if government want to use the purchased land in community work like building roads, school and hospitals building and laying out irrigational projects etc., it's okay, but the land owners must have clear cut share in the developed land or they have job quota in the project or they must be kept in the steering committee of the project. In the strategic project there is no controversy. If government says that it is really sensitive to the farmers then it should accompany all these options in case to case basis. The problem is that the government keeps saying that it is sympathetic to the farmers and it is ready to pay four times more to the market value of the land. But the reality is that the market rate of agricultural land is not very high, hardly it is to be in hundreds per sq. yards. So until unless farmers land are not kept under land use category, they would not have gain in selling this. Only after changing the land use forumulla, the prices of urban land becomes costilier, which is not a case in general with our farmers. So this Modi government has not able to prove itself that it is really close to the heart of the farmers or it really wants to make justice with their cause. We know it very well and it is highly true also that the farmers living in the urban areas or in outskirts area, they do not want to do cultivation, because it is costlier and gain is not substantial in this, so they want to get as much as return over their immovable property. So their interest and corporate interest must have equal sharing
The problem is that the government keep saying that it is sympathetic to the farmers and it is ready to pay four times more to the market value of the farmes. But the reality is that the market rate of agricultural land is not be very big, hardly it is to be in hundreds. So until unless farmers land are not kept under land use category, they would not have gain in selling their land.
Now coming over the making agriculture really a profession of gainful employment or substantial margin, the conditions prevailing in the country is very inopportune. The fundamental policy of our agriculture is still based over taking it as a subsistence profession, rather a profitable one. Government keep saying that it is trying to provide all kind of inputs and infrastructure. This policy is operational very from 1960s, when India started its endevavour to become self sufficient in agriculature production and so foundation of green revolution was laid out in the country. Nevertheless, this policy was fine for the country or community perspective, but it was never encouraging for the producers. Despite of many number of input schmes of agriculture accompanied with several subsidy like petroleum, electricity, feritilizer, seed, but at the end the net gain to farmers use to be in negative term. It clearly means farmers are completely lacking inspiration to continue their cultivation in passionate manner. This modi government in this manner is just the same what the earlier government were. This government has just hiked the MSP of many items in just routine manner by increasing 1 or 2 percent. We know in case of suger cane, cotton and also milk, its producers and farmers get remunerative prices, but the biggest worry is attached with sugar cane farmers, who never get their payment in time. I think this Modi government is if at all sympathized to the farmers, it should immediately ensure the payment of cane growers just within 1 week of unloading of their sugar cane at the mill gate otherwise they should be given 15 percent interest over their payment. So far the other items are concerned whether it is food grains, oilseeds, pulses , veggies and etc., its MSP prices never can be said it covers cost in substantial manner. It is still influenced by the demand and supply situations. We all know in harvesting and plucking season, the over supply of produces brings it prices on falling note. If government empathically purchased it through FCI AND NAFED and store it with massive storage infrastructure, it would have provided relief and price security to the producers and in the off season period if FCI or NAFED keep selling them in the market, it could stabilize the price.
If Modi government is really interested in making agriculture a profession of profit it must immediately bring the concept of minimum and maximum price regime in the agriculture so that farmere always take agriculture just like another profession. For availing this environment, govt. should try to remove all bottlenecks coming in the way of making agricutulre a profession of profit. For this, there require a huge infrastructure of storage, regular purchasing and selling of food produces in the market. Scrapping PDS in normal course and keep its reserved for calamity condition, remote and tribal areas and for feeding mid day meal schemes, promoting cooperative shops in rural areas in place of PDS shops. Money spent over the provision of food subsidy should be diverted towards those products which could provide gainful employment to the unemployed youth (20-55 yrs), human development to (1-20) and social security to the 55 and above age groups. In place of subsidized food grains riddled with and huge corruption, one must go for mass lunger program, at least will feed to the hungry people.
Now we come over the topic of going suicide attempt by the agriculturist communtiy. In normal sense the suicide committed by anone is a very pathetic act, but if this suicide is being attempted or committed by our life saviours, grain- providers farmers, then this act becomes more pitiable and shocking. Year 2000 onwards, we have perennial and continuous suicide incident taking place. It started from Aandhra Pradesh where some cotton farmer committed suicide for their bad crop occurred due to excessive use of insecticide and farmers were were afraid of how will they repay loan to the banks. They started commit suicide, since then we have continuous incidents regarding this. The matter is that we never ever heard a big borrower of money committed suicide. The recent example is kingfisher groups, which has more than 800 core worth of outstanding loan on it and its chairman is just dancing with the cheer girls of his Royal challenger Banglore team. The poor farmers even after taking loan of few lakh rupees, start feeling guilty. They feel that they are not in a position in repaying them and so they make suicide. Our farming community is simple, honest and guilty feeling community so they immediately become emotional and take resort of suicide. Now the time has come each and every farmers must be ensured that their profession is not either risky or loss bearing. We have to take resolve that agriculture will be made free from all risks and ensure it lucraitive in every condition. If we ensure these two things, farmers will stop dying.
The provision of food subsidy should be adjusted with gainful employment to the unemployed youth (20-55 yrs), human development to (1-20) and social security to the 55 and above. In place of subsidized food grains and huge corruption one must go for mass lunger program.
I think government should start making agriculture free from all kind of pessimism and it should openly assure the farming community that if they feel any depression or disappointment related to cultivation, they immediately report block agriculture officer. If they are succumbed to make suicide, before this they report it and if possible govt. should postpond the repayment time and waiver of all their interest component. Suicide committed by Ganjendra Singh at Jantar Mantar has given us opportunity when we should start all required process in order to make agriculture risk free and surplus generating. Last but not the least in the name of agriculture, we must not treat all big farmers or urban area farmers in same category. We must not allow farmhouse culture for the rich class living in urban metropolis centre. We should introduce taxes to whom,who have big properities in urban area or in red thread area and also the person who have more than above 50 acres of land, he should be told to file return, nothing wrong in this. I think transferring all agriculture subsidies directly to farmers in their account is more necessary than depositing LPG and food subsidy in the consumers' bank account.. v
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