VJAS flays Psychological Aid to stop Vidarbha Farmer’s Suicides

VJAS flays Psychological Aid to stop Vidarbha Farmer’s Suicides

NAGPUR-Monday , November 14, 2011:

Vidarbha Jan Andolan samiti has strongly flayed Maharashtra move to seek Psychological help from one Goa base NGO been hand-picked by Dorabjee Tata Trust to divert economic issues behind vidarbha agrarian crisis forcing cotton farmers to commit suicide due the wrong policies promoted state ,kishor tiwari farm activist of VJAS informed today .it is reported that in a bid to extricate debt-ridden farmers in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, an NGO has been hand-picked by Dorabjee Tata Trust for the ambitious project will work to bail out 3 million cotton framers who are in deep distress analyzing the families of the victim farmers, their body language, psychological behaviour and other aspects to provide solutions reach to these farmers in a scientific manner and address their Psychological issues and render moral support in the three sector including common mental health disorder, alcohol use disorder and child and adolescent emotional problem, The NGO informed and

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NGO comes to aid of Vidarbha farmers

http://zeenews.india.com/news/maharashtra/ngo-comes-to-aid-of-vidarbha-farmers_741708.html.

PTI

Panaji: In a bid to extricate debt-ridden farmers in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, an NGO has come forward to bail them out of the agrarian crisis, a senior functionary has said.

The NGO, Sangath, operating from outside of Goa, has been hand-picked by Dorabjee Tata Trust for the ambitious project aiming to mitigate instances of suicides among Vidarbha peasants.

Sangath chairman Vishram Gupte said the pre-launch meeting for the project would be held in Nagpur in Maharashtra on November 30 to discuss about the implementation of the project.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau's statistics about 30,000 farmers have committed suicide in the last one decade. Gupte said lack of irrigation facilities, infertility of land and state government's failure are the reasons for aggravating crisis in the region. The NGO with professionals on board has decided to reach to these farmers in a scientific manner and address their basic issues and render moral support.

The four-year-long project will cover four districts from Vidarbha and eight blocks, Gupte said, adding Sangath is readying to set up its camp office in Nagpur.

Sangath officials said the experts would analyse the families of the victim farmers, their body language, psychological behaviour and other aspects.

"We will develop the intervention in three sectors, including common mental health disorder, alcohol use disorder and child and adolescent emotional problem," an expert associated with the project said.

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‘This is brain child of Maharashtra Govt. to divert the attention of civil society and nation from basic issues involved in to mass genocide of farmers in India as last decade quarter million farmers mostly dry land farmers cultivating high risk highly price volatile crop like cotton are killing themselves because of free trade and wrong economic policies promoted by Indian Govt. as earlier too when vidarbha farmers issue Govt. called Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation ,Bhyuji Maharaj of indore and Ammaji from south and spent thousands of crore on physiological treatment economical ill debt ridden farmers but stopped it having got criticism from media and civil society now as once again administration is under severe fire as Maharashtra has reported maximum 3320 farm suicide in 2010 and daily 3 farmers killing in vidarbha they have smartly asked Dorabjee Tata Trust to do exercise which another hoax’ Tiwari added.

As the situation of cotton growers in west Vidarbha has worsened with the wrong policies of the state and particularly ban of cotton export time to time. The Bt cotton seeds promoted by the state have increased the economic pressure on farmers instead of resulting in higher yields of disease free crops. Already a low return and high risk livelihood, these policies that claim to reduce the risk have only increased the cost of farming. As a result, the cotton economy of the region has collapsed, resulting in mass suicide since 2001, he pointed out that when the rate of cotton lint gets a rate of $5.346 per kg in USA (around Rs 8,906 per quintal), the farmers of Vidarbha was getting a meager rate of Rs 4,000 per quintal.

VJAS that has been documenting the farmers' suicide in the region, said that most of the cotton farmers were distressed because of meagre rate of raw cotton in the market this season.

"There is a need for state government's intervention in this regard. The government should provide at least Rs 6,000 per quintal. The Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had promised that he would talk with the union government for better support price for the raw cotton. However, nothing has been done in this regard," Tiwari alleged.