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)

Kalavati withdrawal is forceful and unfortunate:Babaital Bais will continue the farm widows struggle

Kalavati withdrawal is forceful and unfortunate:Babaital Bais will continue the farm widows struggle


NAGPUR-29 th September 2009

as expected kalavati bandurkar icon of vidarbha agrarian crisis has succumbed to pressure of losing Rs.30 lac aid from sulbha international and congress party as she was known as Rahul Gandhi's Kalavati after he visited her hut and referred her plights
kishore tiwari of vidarbha janandolan samti has given chronological account of the events of her candidature in press note saying that on 5th September 2009 we called a meeting of Vidarbha farm widows mostly from Yavatmal district, and around 200 farm widows attended it. The meeting decided to demand:

1. Food for the dying families

2. Family pension to all widows

3. Free higher education, and aid for marriage of their daughters.

4. Right of land owned by their husband. Deprived of this right, most widows are forced to leave their homes.

The reason why the VJAS was trying to field a candidate in the coming elections was because the issue is being ignored by the State administration, and hence getting into the election process would have provided an opportunity to draw attention to these critical issues.

It was decided that as Kalawati Bandurkar is well-known, she was best suited for the task. After 8 days of making the choice known to her, Kalawati called me to inform that she is ready to contest provided her health permits.

It was only then that we announced her candidature, which was a breaking news. As Rahul Gandhi’s Kalawati, her name drew more than 200 journalists to interview her, hundreds of article and newsreports in media, and evoked concern in the political circles mainly in the Congress party, finally forcing her to change her decision.

Also, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak of Sulabh International wrote a letter to her asking her not to contest election. This was a major jolt to her as she is still awaiting to receive the entire Rs 30 lakhs that Pathak had promised to provide to her as aid (she has got Rs 6 lakh by now). Kalawati therefore announced the change in her thinking, and withdrew from the race.

Before that, Kalawati had come to Nagpur and clarified the stand that her contest is symbolic and the plight of farm widows and farm suicide issues should be taken up. She had announced that she would be filing her nomination on Sept 25.

This announcement brought more pressure on her. She withdrew later, after her own son-in-law threatened to commit suicide if she contested. VJAS therefore replaced her with Babitai Bais. I don't know why senior activists from some sections of the society are criticizing us for using these innocent widows to raise voice of farmers.

I also draw your attention to an elaborate interview of Kalawati published by the Times of India on Sept 27, 2009. This will help bring the issue to those who have not been able to follow the spate of developments involving Kalawati, and also help those who are outside India to put this blog in right perspective.

"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," VJAS President Kishore Tiwari said.

He reiterated that VJAS will make a serious attempt to "empower" the widows and farmers orphans of Vidarbha. He added that if a widow is elected from there then she will be their face in the Assembly.

Kalavati Parshuram Bandurkar

Printed from

'Money is no longer a problem, being a celebrity is'

TNN 27 September 2009, 12:52am IST

Kalavati Parshuram Bandurkar












widow and mother of nine, shot to fame when Rahul Gandhi mentioned her in Parliament last year. Soon enough, she was being feted by politicians and sought by the media. On the strength of her sudden celebrity status, this illiterate woman from a nondescript village in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district, recently agreed to contest the forthcoming assembly elections on a Swatantra Bharat Paksha (Sharad Joshi) ticket. The decision generated controversy and many advised her to stay out of politics. On Friday,she filed her nomination for Wani constituency, but late on Saturday, it remained unclear if she would stay the course.









Shishir


Arya caught up with Kalavati in Nagpur. Excerpts from the interview.

Why do you want to fight the elections?
I want help for the widows whose husbands have been forced to end their lives because of an agrarian crisis. The poor should get homes. It doesn’t matter if I win or not, but by contesting elections, I think, I can get them help from the Rahul Gandhi (government). I am not contesting to become an MLA but I want to attract Rahul’s attention towards the poor widows.

Rahul Gandhi made you famous. Why didn’t you ask him directly for a Congress party ticket?
I am not contesting to win. So, the question of rivalry with Rahul Gandhi or Congress does not arise. Rahul is my benefactor. Had it not been for him, I would have been the same ordinary Kalavati. But, providing help to me alone is not enough, there are others like me for whom I need to raise my voice.

Rahul said your family’s life would have been different had there been enough power in the country and you had access to it. Do you agree?
Well, power would be the last priority. I need to have a regular source of livelihood first. We shifted to Jalka village because we only had a three-acre patch of land in Chandrapur district. In Jalka, my family has been tilling rented land. Even if there were power to irrigate the fields, no one would have rented out an irrigated field to us. So, what I need first is land of my own to eke out a regular living.

Bindeshwar Pathak, who founded social service organization Sulabh Shauchalya and is one of your benefactors, has urged you to desist from politics as it indirectly means opposing Rahul Gandhi. What do you have to say to that?
Ask him to keep his word first. He had said he would give me Rs 30 lakh, which would lead to a monthly bank interest of Rs 25,000 for 20 years. But so far, I have only received Rs 6 lakh. A chunk of it has been spent on my daughter’s marriage and building a new house. They say I have become rich. Do you think
Rs 6 lakh is a big amount these days? It has to be at least a crore or so to be called rich. Pathak should stick to his promise and pay the remaining amount. I have heard that he has refused to give any more. It was written in the newspapers. My kids read it out to me.

Why are you annoyed with Bindeshwar Pathak? Had it not been for him, you wouldn’t have had any money at all?
That is true. But if he promised to pay Rs 30 lakh, it should be fulfilled.

How has life changed since you received the money?
I am a farmer even today. I go to the fields, monitor the labourers from 10 in the morning to 5 in the evening and even have my lunch there. What has changed is that we no longer have to skip a meal and the kids can wear good clothes. Money is no longer a problem. Earlier, life was tough, we had either to eat a very frugal meal or starve at times.

What drove your husband to end his life?
He owed Rs 1 lakh, all borrowed from relatives. Three of our daughters were married within the two-year period before he died. In 2005, the fourth daughter’s marriage was fixed. That fateful day, he went to the fields worrying how he would arrange to repay the money. We had a poor harvest that year and hardly anything could be spared after paying the landlord. In desperation, he ended his life.

Would you withdraw from this election if Rahul Gandhi asks you to?
Let Rahul Gandhi provide a solution for the troubles of 6,000 other widows like me and then I will withdraw from contesting the elections.

Do you understand the importance of being an elected representative?
May be not, but I will become seasoned with time.

Do you dream of going to Delhi and become an important politician like Sonia Gandhi?
Wani (the constituency from where she is contesting) is Delhi for me. What is the need to go all the way to Delhi? Politics in villages is equally complex and I am slowly learning the tricks. It is indeed very interesting.

Are you in touch with Rahul or anyone from his office?
No, but several other persons,
including journalists, have been coming to my house. I don’t know if there was someone from Congress too. But, then, it was only due to Rahul’s visit to my village I got all the help, if not directly from him.

Are you scared about being treated like a celebrity?
Yes, I was a little scared initially when people came to meet me. But not now, I am used to everything.

After vidarbha five farmers now farm lady killed herself in last 72 hours

After vidarbha five farmers now farm lady killed herself in last 72 hours: despair and distress in drought hit area on alarming situation after devastation of Bt cotton crop on 3.2 million hector in Maharashtra .

Nagpur-14th September 2009

Farm lady worker sundana pandurang barallawar due to deep stress on not getting the farm work in the village mukutban in zari taluka of yavatmal district yesterday in addition to five more innocent farmers suicide in cotton belt of vidarbha taking toll to 668 in the year 2009 , informed Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti in press note today

The recent victims are

1.Sahebrao Deshmukh in Yawali Shahid of Amaravati

2.Devendra Kurhade in Arvi of Wardha .

3.Ramdas Choudhari in Bhedgaon of Chandrapur

4.Sharad Bhoyar in Rui-Wai of Yavatmal

5.Gajanan Dawas in Warud of Yavatmal.

“the pest epidemic is damaging the cotton crop and there is NREGA work in the vidarbha where as NRHM and PDS schemes is collapsed resulting farmers and farm workers suicides .Ministers and officers are too busy in election to look at these dying people of Maharashtra where as some of lower level officers are denying the basic relief in the name of moral code of conduct ,it’s much disturbing to see on going political drama in the mist of this gloom” tiwari said

‘On cotton crop now there is military worm attack in addition to white fly, aphids ,jessids, thriph ,mealy bug means all types of sucking pest along with deadly layla (reding of leaves) 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 now days not only inbuilt toxin failed but there is response to all pesticide and insecticide”,informed Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti in press note .

It’s worst epidemic of pest attack on cash crops of rain fed Vidarbha and Marathwada,the backward portion of progressive Maharashtra which are soybean and cotton ,initially military worm damaged all standing soybean crop now this sucking pest will certainly off set rural economic balance of the region creating more despair and distress among the debt trap dying farmers ,Tiwari added..

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 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

VJAS urged Bt (GM )Cotton Promoters to visit devastation of cotton crop on 3.2 million hector in Maharashtra .

VJAS urged Bt (GM )Cotton Promoters to visit devastation of cotton crop on 3.2 million hector in Maharashtra .

Nagpur-13^th September 2009

Those who claims that Bt (GM )Cotton plants are having Drought tolerance and,the Genetically Engineered Bacillus Thuringenesis popularly known as Bt. cotton seed has capacity to produce antibiotic resistance to pest attack resulting in lower use of contact and non contact type pesticide and insecticide and drastic increase in yield of cotton should visit Maharashtra to see devastation of cotton crop on 3.2 million hector where innocent farmers struggling to save standing cotton crop being ruined by sucking pest of various types of aphids ,jessids, thriph and mealy bug has damaged more than 50% plants and now the very notorious killer disease known as “lalya” has been reported in most of districts of Maharashtra who have opted very costly Bt.cotton seed of US base MNCs Monsanto (a company that produces and markets a broad range of seeds developed with biotechnology ahs monopoly in India and this year in the market it was only Bt.cotton seed for cultivation that’s total replacement to Indian hybrid seed due to state owned promotion of this MNCs due to malafide interest Indian Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar who is defacto owner of Monsanto India), creating panic in the region Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti urged in press release today.

“We have been crying against the commercial trials of these Bt (GM )Cotton seed since 2005 when it was permitted and it failed that year and Maharashtra Govt. compensated Bt. Cotton crop failure due to attack of “lalya” to more than 1 million cotton farmers but instead of banning this killer seed ,it is being officially promoted ,now our cry is the reality but no body who is claiming dreaming benefits of Bt.cotton is visiting in Maharashtra cotton belt.

In last five year not only more than 7000 cotton farmers who opted to cultivate Bt.cotton have killed them selves but Govt. of India and local Govt.’s all bailout packages amounting to tune of more than Rs.24,000/- crore failed control agrarian crisis .now more than 2 million cotton growers are in huge debt and mounting despair and distress aggravating the agrarian crisis in the region .

The main reasons of Bt.cotton failure are

1.Cost of seed is four times than conventional hybrid seed

2.Requirement of fertilizer and pesticides for Bt.cotton seed is very high as per data of sale of fertilizer and pesticide increased almost six times in last 4 years in the cotton belt of maharashtra

3.Cost of cotton cultivation has jumped to almost five times in last 4 years but return on investment has decreased considerably resulting huge debt and massive default in institutional finance.

(Nabard has reduced agriculture credit target almost to 40% in comparison to it’s 2006 credit target due to poor recovery of crop loan in this cotton growing region in spite of mega loan waiver and relief packages and there is no significant increase in cotton procurement data in last three season as in Maharashtra it’s mostly state owned agency involved as main procurement agency )

VJAS urged scientific community to visit Maharashtra to see the truth of the propaganda related to GM cotton crops is that they have changed economic condition of cotton farmers . Bt cotton failed to resist drought, increase pesticide and fertilizer pollution more over it has degraded soil and forest to bring sudden climate change this year.moreover it’s very serious impact is as per Dr.vandan shiva’s Navdanya’s research in Vidarbha, Maharashtra, which has been proved that Bt cotton is killing beneficial micro-organisms in the soil. Reports of deaths of animals grazing in Bt cotton fields are also related to the fact that Bt toxin in plants is a broad spectrum, readymade toxin unlike the naturally occurring Bt in the soil organism. (Andhra Pradesh’s animal husbandary department’s report takes note of an increasing number of deaths of animals and pests who graze in Bt cotton fields.)

Now VJAS totally support Dr.vandana shiva’s demand to authentic, unbiased, independent and holistic science to inform the GM crop reality, not the false propaganda being peddled as science.

“Those who support humanity ,they should urge Indian Govt. to stop these mass genocide of cotton farmers in the name GM revolution” Kishore Tiwari asked for urgent intervention.