It’s “black Diwali” for Rural Vidarbha as five farmers suicides reported in last 72 hours.

Nagpur-20^th October 2009

The drought and bt.cotton failure due to pest epidemic due to attack of white fly, aphids ,jessids, thriph ,mealy bug means all types of sucking pest along with deadly layla (redning of leaves) attack ,fibe innocent bt. Cotton growers killed themselves at the time of diwali ,according to reports reaching late,they are

1.Mahadev Sonpanje in Nerad (Yavatmal)

2.Poshatti Gharekar in Sayatkharda (Yavatmal)

3.Babusingh Rathode in Aamni (Yavatmal)

4.Sukhadeo Thawas in Majra(Chandrapur)

5.Satish Aawari in Sawali(Chandrapur)

“the pest epidemic is damaging the cotton crop and there is no NREGA work in the vidarbha where as NRHM and PDS schemes is collapsed resulting farmers and farm workers suicides.Ministers and officers are till busy in election and nobody is there to look at these dying farm community of west vidarbha where as some of lower level officers are denying the basic relief in the name of moral code of conduct being enforced ,it’s much disturbing to see on going political drama in the mist of this gloom” tiwari said

‘On cotton crop now there is deadly layla (redning of leaves) attack in addition to white fly, aphids ,jessids, thriph ,mealy bug means all types of sucking pest attack has come ,it means all over’ Prem chavan of village Maregaon(son) in kelapur –yavatmal informed .

“In the mega advertisement of bt.cotton seed ,farmers are told that Cotton plants are having Drought tolerance and,the Genetically Engineered Bacillus Thuringenesis that cotton seed has capacity to produce antibiotic resistance to pest attack resulting in lower use of contact and non contact type pesticide and insecticide but contrary to it’s claim now days not only inbuilt toxin failed but there is no response to all pesticide and insecticide”,informed Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti in press note .

Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti(VJAS) has urged administration to provide immediate aid to assistance to these cotton farmers who are already disturbed due huge debt and economic crisis due to on going agrarian crisis in the region . “this pest epidemic on standing cotton crop will spread distress and farm suicide spiral of West Vidarbha to in near by Marathwada,Khandesh,North Mahrashtra and East Vidarbha hence urgent attention is needed to save million of dying farmers of Maharashtra” Tiwari added

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farm widows poll campaign exposes reality of rural India

Bebitai’s poll campaign exposes reality of rural India

Nagpur-7^th October 2009

When Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Ex-Chief Minister vilasrao deshmukh was addressing election rally in maregoan in wani assembly seat for congress candidate ,

Bebitai bais was meeting voters and asking them to vote for change but voter who is tribal without shelter ,cloth and food was unaware any election on 13^th October .

“my name is shankar mesram ,I living in this hut with my old age wife ,you there is roof to hut ,there is no food in my house and it’s impossiable to cover our body with cloths “ shankar masram told that he has not been covered under annapurnna scheme that’s scheme to provide free food to old age poor ,they are not covered under any pension scheme and till date not single candidate has visited their hut more over nobody in that hutment is ware of any election.

Bebitai bais is first farm widows from the tribal belt of Zari of Wani assembly segment in Yavatmal district where more than 1600 cotton farmers committed suicides in last five years as victim of on going agrarian crisis,.contesting election in last 66 years of independence on farm suicide and farm widows crisis issue when Indian Govt. officially confirmed that more than 1,86,000 farmers killed themselves due to huge debt and despair and Bebitai is one unfortunate victim of this national calamity .she is fighting this election to draw the attention of Indian policy makers and experts who are claiming the toll picture of Indian economic growth and so called big economic power ,Kishore Tiwari of VJAS informed in press note .

“We are trying our level best to see the farm suicide issue should be focused throughout the election and political parties should take it seriously for the long term sustainable solution. No country can allow such mass genocide of farming community now this isuue is beyond the election political arena” Tiwari of VJAS added.

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Thousands of vidarbha farm widows to protest Sonia- Rahul gandhi's Wani rally

Farmer's widow kicks off her Maharashtra poll campaign

It was poignant in its imagery and telling in its impact. A slow procession of widows of farmers who committed suicide in the Vidarbha region in the last couple of years wound its way through rutted village tracks as Bebitai Bais, the first farmer's widow in Maharashtra to contest the assembly elections, began her campaign Saturday.

From correspondents in India, 3 Oct 2009 1:31 PM - (www.indiaenews.com)

It was poignant in its imagery and telling in its impact. A slow procession of widows of farmers who committed suicide in the Vidarbha region in the last couple of years wound its way through rutted village tracks as Bebitai Bais, the first farmer's widow in Maharashtra to contest the assembly elections, began her campaign Saturday.

She will contest for the Wani assembly seat.

The widows' procession to the hamlet of 90 huts -- which got into media spotlight after it saw 18 farmers' suicides in the past few years -- symbolically marked the launch of this brave woman's poll campaign as a candidate of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) and Shetkari Sanghatana, supported by the Republican Left Democratic Front (RLDF).

VJAS president Kishore Tiwari told IANS Both-Bodan village was chosen as it 'represents the heart of the agrarian crisis in eastern Maharashtra'.

In a prepared statement released here, Bebitai said getting elected in the present murky political scenario would be difficult for a poor woman like her with limited resources at her command.

'I was disturbed when Kalavati Bandurkar was forced to step out of the poll race. My aim would be to unite all the 7,000 farmland widows and over 35,000 orphans of Vidarbha whose concerns and problems are common. We must show the world the apathy of the bureaucracy and politicians to our issues and our demand to live a life of dignity,' she said.

Bebitai appealed to the widows and people of Wani to support the cause of the farming community and help her to raise their voice in the assembly.

The Vidarbha farmland crisis was highlighted in 2005 when 118 suicides were officially registered from the region. This prompted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to send agriculture expert M.S. Swaminathan there. He reported in September that year that the crisis was severe.

Four months later, in December 2005, then Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh visited the affected regions and announced that there were nearly 800 suicides. He also announced an aid package of Rs.1,075 crore, but the suicides continued.

In March 2006, the centre sent a team of experts led by Adarsh Mishra which said the crisis was very serious and warranted central intervention.

In June 2006, Manmohan Singh himself visited the region and announced a package of Rs.3,750 crore, of which Rs.850 crore went toward waiver of interest on farm loans and the rest for augmenting irrigation facilities.

In February 2008, the centre announced the historic farm loans waiver package of over Rs.70,000 crore on an all-India basis.

However, Tiwari pointed out that 90 percent of the farmers in Vidarbha did not get any benefit in view of the eligibility clause stipulating a minimum two-hectare land holding.

The suicides have continued unabated. Citing statistics, he said that the suicides were: 440 in 2004, 450 in 2005, 1,640 in 2006, 1,468 in 2007, 1,500 in 2008, and 780 so far in 2009.

'We have decided that this time, a Vidarbha farmer's widow must be elected to the assembly. It will be our way of tribute to the memory of over 7,000 debt-ridden farmers who committed suicide in the region. In September alone, 10 farmers killed themselves in Yavatmal district where over 1,600 people have died so far,' Tiwari said.

He reiterated that VJAS will make a serious attempt to 'empower' the widows and orphans of Vidarbha and a widow elected from here shall be their face in the assembly. 'Even if it means that I have to sell off all my property and belongings,' Tiwari said.

On Friday night, over a hundred widows congregated at Bebitai's native village Hivra and took out a candle-light procession on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

The Vidarbha region includes Yavatmal, Nagpur, Akola, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Wardha, Amravati, Buldana, Washim, Bhandara and Chandrapur districts.

The Wani seat shall also be contested by the Congress and Shiv Sena candidates.

(© IANS)