Dear All,
With respect to "crude statistics", I do tend to take alarmist global indices published by global think tanks on a whole range and variety of global issues, with a "pinch of salt".
The question still remains :
1. How do we respond to such "crude statistics"
2. What do we actually manage to do about these issues with the resources at our disposal.
There is no doubt that a country with 1.2 billion people has its politicial leaders pining and whining for the embrace and pats on the back, of the outgoing White House resident, backed by well funded Washington based policy think tanks, rather than evolving long term food security policies and development paradigms.
In the backdrop of the US Farm Bill 2007, continued and insistent EU and US farm subsidies, the arm twisting of developing economies by the diplomats and negotiators of the same countries and economic blocs, in global trade forums, so called respected think tanks which routinely spew out alarmist statistics have a habit of hijacking agendas for reasons best known to them.
In this, they do seek the support and mental attention of diaspora communities as well as of the Oxbridge / IMF / World Bank / Brussels trained economists who keep kicking the stirrups of Indian economy.
This routinely brings to my mind the statement of Leo Tolstoy - " I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means - except by getting off his back. "
At the same time, serious and more appropriate analysts like Devinder Sharma and P Sainath are continually sidelined and merely tolerated, in the cacaphony raised by these strategic policy think tanks with vested agendas.
Warm Regards,
Nagarjuna
----------------------
The Indian elite keep ranting about the economy's growth rate while the corporate papers (Hindustan Times, Times of India, Indian Express etc) get all excited about the bullish stock market that has crossed the 19,000-point mark.
But what about half the population grinding under poverty and malnutrition?
The Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute released its report "The World's Most Deprived: Characteristics and Causes of Extreme Poverty and Hunger" on 6th Nov 07. The Institute devised the global hunger index (GHI) as a measure of poverty & hunger in a country.
This report is the first of its kind to use household survey data to look at those living below the one-dollar-a- day line. The index is designed to capture three dimensions of hunger: lack of economic access to food, shortfalls in the nutritional status of children, and child mortality, which is largely attributable to malnutrition.
1) India ranks way down at 96 among 119 developing countries included in the report. Even Nepal is four notches higher at 92, Pakistan 88, Myanmar 68, Sri Lanka 69, China 47.
In contrast, Mauritius is among the top 20 of least hungry countries.
The report commented "The lack of improvement in India's GHI score between 1997 and 2003 despite continued growth is a cause for concern, since India's GHI still indicates alarming levels of hunger".
Across all developing regions of the world, the poorest households are most often located in remote rural areas with limited access to education, roads, and health services and members of these households often face exclusion due to their ethnicity, gender or disability.
Nagarjuna has interest in Food Policy issues and may like to comment further.
2) While child malnutrition has reduced, a separate study (see www.Indiatogether. org) finds that 1 in 2 Indian rural children under 3 is hungry.
3) And nearly 150,000 Indian farmers committed suicide in the period 1997- 2005, official data show. While farm suicides have occurred in many States, nearly two thirds of these deaths are concentrated in five States where just a third of the country's population lives. (See P Sainath, ZNet www.zmag.org, 12 Nov 07).
Two more recent statistics:
4) INDIA also leads the world in the number of women dying in childbirth - 117,000 in 2005.
This means a maternal mortality ratio of 450 deaths per 100,000 live births. The Pakistan figure is 320, Sri Lanka 58 and China 45 (one tenth of India's) [R Hensman, 19 Nov 07 www.countercurrents .org
5) Times of India, 20 Nov 07 reported that India has the largest number of illiterates in the world.
It ranks 126th out of 177 countries in the Human Development Index (UNDP 2006)
Eddie
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
FDI Risks in India - Inviting Major Retail Players to Bite off more than they can chew
Will the major investors making plans for retail entry in Indian Food Sector be ultimately biting off more than they can chew ?
The recent popular campaign activities all across India certainly seem to discount the projections of food retail consultants and urban economists keen on inviting investments to India.
Who wants FDI in Indian Food Sector ?
The India FDI Watch Campaign seeks to prevent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the retail sector in India. India FDI Watch is a national coalition of labour unions, trade associations, environmentalists, NGOs and academics that have formed to block attempts to allow foreign direct investment in India’s retail markets.
FDI in retail will amount to job losses in the thousands as well as thousands more small businesses and kiranas being forced to close. It will continue the race to the bottom in wages and working conditions that Wal-Mart and other multinational mega-retailers have spread across the globe. Multinationals look at India, with its 1.2 billion people, as a vast, untapped market, but we do not want to become the next country to have our cultural traditions, worker's rights, environment, and independence destroyed by Wal-Mart. Contact us for more information.
IndiaFDI Watch - http://indiafdiwatch.org/index.php?id=47
For more information: download the India FDI Watch Brochure.
For more information, download the India FDI Watch Brochure (in Hindi).
Thousands protested to oppose the Bharti-Walmart Joint Venture
On the heels of the announcement of the Bharti-Walmart joint venture, thousands of traders, hawkers, farmers and workers protested across India. Protesters also included a group of American students who demanded that Wal-Mart not be allowed into India. Mass-based organizations called on the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi to immediately stop the Bharti-Walmart Joint Venture and not allow Wal-Mart’s backdoor entry into India.
There was also a strong united call on all corporations—both foreign and domestic—to "Quit Retail". The protests were timed to commemorate the start of the "Quit India" movement, which started on August 9, 1942, with mass-based sections of society drawing parallels to the East India Company and companies like Wal-Mart, Bharti and Reliance.
Agitations took place in the metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata along with other major cities including, Kalicut, Bhopal, Jaipur, Ranchi, Balia, Meerath, Sonipat, Nagpur, Nasik, Pune and Indore.
In Delhi, thousands of traders, hawkers, farmers and workers protested in Chandni Chowk, a historical market, and burned effigies of Wal-Mart, Bharti and Reliance. Dharmendra Kumar, Director of India FDI Watch and national coordinator of the Vyapaar Aur Rozgaar Bachao Andolan conducted the proceedings and told the agitators, "Both Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have acknowledged the dangers of corporations entering into the retail sector.
The Govt. has commissioned a report looking at the impact of the entire supply chain on livelihoods after Sonia Gandhi had written a letter of caution. Sonia Gandhi had also publicly refused to meet with Michael Duke, Wal-Mart Vice-Chairman during his visit in February after public demonstrations were held due to his arrival. However, both Sonia Gandhi and the PMO have remained silent on the Bharti-Wal-Mart deal and though they have publicly cautioned against corporations and commissioned a study, they have taken no subsequent actions. He demanded that the Wal-Mart Bharti joint venture should be immediately revoked and all corporations should be stopped until thorough study has been conducted by an independent special task force comprising of stakeholders."
Shyam Bihari Mishra, President, Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal refered back to the British Raj, stating, "The East India Company, the most powerful company at the time, came to colonize India’s people and domestic and international trade and now Wal-Mart, the world’s largest company is trying to enter India to do the same. Mr. Mishra said India has a history of resistance, our people threw out the British and sixty years later if millions have their businesses and livelihoods threatened we will do the same now.
He announced that family members of traders would boycott corporate stores." Praveen Khandelwal, General Secretary, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said "The livelihoods of retail traders are at stake. If big retail giants like Wal-Mart and Reliance come into the country, small traders would be finished." A mass campaign would be launched to strike back and make corporations realise that we will not let them ruin our livelihoods, he said.
Vandana Shiva, Director, Navdanya said "India is a land of retail democracy- hundreds of thousands of weekly haats and bazaars are located across the length and breadth of our country by people’s own self-organizational capacities. In a country with large numbers of people, and high levels of poverty, the existing model of retail democracy is the most appropriate in terms of economic viability and ecological sustainability.".
Shaktiman Ghosh, General Secretary, National Hawkers Federation warned the government "about taking such strong stances against India’s millions of hawkers and small shopkeepers in favor of only a few huge corporations who seek to dominate the Indian retail market."
Mr. Indu Prakash of Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform revealed the nexus between judiciary and corporate retail which led to the ceiling of shops of more than one hundred thousands of traders of Delhi and still goes on.
Mr. Bhati of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, Delhi, Harbhajan Singh Siddhu, National Secretary, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Sunil Kansal, Secretary, Rashtriya Vyapar Mandal, Hakim Singh Rawat, General Secretary, Delhi Hawkers Welfare Association, Banwari Lal Sharma, President, Aazadi Bachaon Aandolan, R K Sharma, Secreatry, UTUC-Lenin Sarani and Venkatesh of Lok Raj Sangathan also addressed the protesters in Delhi.
In Mumbai, thousands of retailers, hawkers, workers and cooperatives participated in a one day trade bandh and a mass public event organized by the Vyapaar Rozgaar Suraksha Kriti Samiti, a joint action committee of trade associations, hawkers groups, trade unions and others. Leaders of Federation of Associations of Maharastra (FAM), Retail and Dispensing Chemists Association (RDCA), India FDI Watch, Mumbai Mahanagar Vyapari Seva Parishad (MMVSP), Mumbai Vyapar Mahasang (MVM), Apna Bazaar, National Hawkers Federation, Center of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat (HMKP) addressed the protesters.
Mohan Gurnani, Convener of the Mumbai based Vyapaar Rozgaar Suraksha Kriti Samiti and President of the Federation of Associations of Maharastra (FAM) said "organised retaling would leave 20 crore people without jobs. Let the government first come out with a rehabilitation for these people and then it can open up FDI in retail". Kishore Shah, President of the Mobile & Telecom Retailers and Distributors Association (MTRDA), stated that around 12,000 retail shop-keepers deal in SIM cards and recharge vouchers of Air-Tel in Mumbai, generating business worth crores of rupees every day. Mr. Shah said "We have already informed all our members, distributors and wholesalers against selling any Airtel products".
The Mumbai APMC—wholesale— market remained closed, along with thousands of retail shops across the city, including all chemists and druggists shops. Apna Bazaar, Maharastra’s largest cooperative store also downed its shutters and wholesale markets remained closed in Nasik and Pune.
At an evening event at Shanmukananda Hall in Mumbai mass-based groups laid out a future course of action and adopted a charter of demands. They called on the Center to immediately repeal the Wholesale Cash-n-Carry Permission, and all licenses granted under the permission; repeal the APMC Model Act, implement the National Policy on Street Vendors, take measures against predatory pricing and formulate a national policy on retail trade and small scale industries.
In Bangalore thousands protested at the town hall and burned effigies of corporate retailers like Wal-Mart and Reliance. The protest culminated in leaders presenting the Governor with a memorandum calling on the state to repeal the recent passage of the APMC Model Act. A Charter of Demands, same as was passed in Mumbai, was also placed before the District Collector. Smaller protests were organized throughout the state in different districts including Kodagu, Bijapur, Gulbarga and Davangere districts.
In Jaipur fifty American students joined with hawkers demanding that Wal-Mart leave India and demanding implementation of the National Policy on Street Vendors. The American students and hawkers demonstrated in the old city and held signs saying "Americans Oppose Wal-Mart Everywhere". Ms. Cheryl, an American citizen, learning Hindi at Jaipur said that Wal-Mart has a disastrous impact on small shopkeepers and neighbourhood communities in America and called Indians to learn from their experience and not to allow Wal-Mart to operate in India. Ms. Cheryl said that the world is moving from ‘Corporate to Cooperative’ and Indians should not corporatize their cooperatives.
In Kerala the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Egono Samiti organized protest marches in over 1000 places across the state. In Kalicut over 10,000 traders protested in front of the corporation’s office and submitted a memorandum demanding that corporations keep out of retail and the immediate halt to Wal-Mart’s backdoor entry and the repeal of the Wholesale Cash-N-Carry permission.
In Kolkata the Federation of Trade Organizations (FTO) of West Bengal organized protests in all the 12 districts of the city along with protests across West Bengal, including in front of malls. Tens of thousands traders participated in the protest. In the evening, thousands of hawkers took out a protest march from the city museum.
In Ranchi, Uday Shankar Ojha who led the vegetable vendors before Reliance Fresh in May and has only recently been released from Jail, led thousands of hawkers and vegetable vendors at Albert Ekka Chowk in Ranchi, demanding that Reliance Fresh and all other corporations leave the retail sector and "withdraw their sinister plans to displace millions of livelihoods".
In Bhopal there was a state-level protest meeting in the morning at Gandhi Bhavan and traders sat on a dharna at Roshanara Chowk in the afternoon and burn effigies of Wal-Mart, Bharti and Reliance. A call for Bhopal Bandh was given for 21 August to oust corporate from retail trade.
Similar protests were organized in other cities including Allahabad, Lucknow, Meerut, Bagpat and Sonipat.
The recent popular campaign activities all across India certainly seem to discount the projections of food retail consultants and urban economists keen on inviting investments to India.
Who wants FDI in Indian Food Sector ?
The India FDI Watch Campaign seeks to prevent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the retail sector in India. India FDI Watch is a national coalition of labour unions, trade associations, environmentalists, NGOs and academics that have formed to block attempts to allow foreign direct investment in India’s retail markets.
FDI in retail will amount to job losses in the thousands as well as thousands more small businesses and kiranas being forced to close. It will continue the race to the bottom in wages and working conditions that Wal-Mart and other multinational mega-retailers have spread across the globe. Multinationals look at India, with its 1.2 billion people, as a vast, untapped market, but we do not want to become the next country to have our cultural traditions, worker's rights, environment, and independence destroyed by Wal-Mart. Contact us for more information.
IndiaFDI Watch - http://indiafdiwatch.org/index.php?id=47
For more information: download the India FDI Watch Brochure.
For more information, download the India FDI Watch Brochure (in Hindi).
Thousands protested to oppose the Bharti-Walmart Joint Venture
On the heels of the announcement of the Bharti-Walmart joint venture, thousands of traders, hawkers, farmers and workers protested across India. Protesters also included a group of American students who demanded that Wal-Mart not be allowed into India. Mass-based organizations called on the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi to immediately stop the Bharti-Walmart Joint Venture and not allow Wal-Mart’s backdoor entry into India.
There was also a strong united call on all corporations—both foreign and domestic—to "Quit Retail". The protests were timed to commemorate the start of the "Quit India" movement, which started on August 9, 1942, with mass-based sections of society drawing parallels to the East India Company and companies like Wal-Mart, Bharti and Reliance.
Agitations took place in the metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata along with other major cities including, Kalicut, Bhopal, Jaipur, Ranchi, Balia, Meerath, Sonipat, Nagpur, Nasik, Pune and Indore.
In Delhi, thousands of traders, hawkers, farmers and workers protested in Chandni Chowk, a historical market, and burned effigies of Wal-Mart, Bharti and Reliance. Dharmendra Kumar, Director of India FDI Watch and national coordinator of the Vyapaar Aur Rozgaar Bachao Andolan conducted the proceedings and told the agitators, "Both Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have acknowledged the dangers of corporations entering into the retail sector.
The Govt. has commissioned a report looking at the impact of the entire supply chain on livelihoods after Sonia Gandhi had written a letter of caution. Sonia Gandhi had also publicly refused to meet with Michael Duke, Wal-Mart Vice-Chairman during his visit in February after public demonstrations were held due to his arrival. However, both Sonia Gandhi and the PMO have remained silent on the Bharti-Wal-Mart deal and though they have publicly cautioned against corporations and commissioned a study, they have taken no subsequent actions. He demanded that the Wal-Mart Bharti joint venture should be immediately revoked and all corporations should be stopped until thorough study has been conducted by an independent special task force comprising of stakeholders."
Shyam Bihari Mishra, President, Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal refered back to the British Raj, stating, "The East India Company, the most powerful company at the time, came to colonize India’s people and domestic and international trade and now Wal-Mart, the world’s largest company is trying to enter India to do the same. Mr. Mishra said India has a history of resistance, our people threw out the British and sixty years later if millions have their businesses and livelihoods threatened we will do the same now.
He announced that family members of traders would boycott corporate stores." Praveen Khandelwal, General Secretary, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said "The livelihoods of retail traders are at stake. If big retail giants like Wal-Mart and Reliance come into the country, small traders would be finished." A mass campaign would be launched to strike back and make corporations realise that we will not let them ruin our livelihoods, he said.
Vandana Shiva, Director, Navdanya said "India is a land of retail democracy- hundreds of thousands of weekly haats and bazaars are located across the length and breadth of our country by people’s own self-organizational capacities. In a country with large numbers of people, and high levels of poverty, the existing model of retail democracy is the most appropriate in terms of economic viability and ecological sustainability.".
Shaktiman Ghosh, General Secretary, National Hawkers Federation warned the government "about taking such strong stances against India’s millions of hawkers and small shopkeepers in favor of only a few huge corporations who seek to dominate the Indian retail market."
Mr. Indu Prakash of Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform revealed the nexus between judiciary and corporate retail which led to the ceiling of shops of more than one hundred thousands of traders of Delhi and still goes on.
Mr. Bhati of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, Delhi, Harbhajan Singh Siddhu, National Secretary, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Sunil Kansal, Secretary, Rashtriya Vyapar Mandal, Hakim Singh Rawat, General Secretary, Delhi Hawkers Welfare Association, Banwari Lal Sharma, President, Aazadi Bachaon Aandolan, R K Sharma, Secreatry, UTUC-Lenin Sarani and Venkatesh of Lok Raj Sangathan also addressed the protesters in Delhi.
In Mumbai, thousands of retailers, hawkers, workers and cooperatives participated in a one day trade bandh and a mass public event organized by the Vyapaar Rozgaar Suraksha Kriti Samiti, a joint action committee of trade associations, hawkers groups, trade unions and others. Leaders of Federation of Associations of Maharastra (FAM), Retail and Dispensing Chemists Association (RDCA), India FDI Watch, Mumbai Mahanagar Vyapari Seva Parishad (MMVSP), Mumbai Vyapar Mahasang (MVM), Apna Bazaar, National Hawkers Federation, Center of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat (HMKP) addressed the protesters.
Mohan Gurnani, Convener of the Mumbai based Vyapaar Rozgaar Suraksha Kriti Samiti and President of the Federation of Associations of Maharastra (FAM) said "organised retaling would leave 20 crore people without jobs. Let the government first come out with a rehabilitation for these people and then it can open up FDI in retail". Kishore Shah, President of the Mobile & Telecom Retailers and Distributors Association (MTRDA), stated that around 12,000 retail shop-keepers deal in SIM cards and recharge vouchers of Air-Tel in Mumbai, generating business worth crores of rupees every day. Mr. Shah said "We have already informed all our members, distributors and wholesalers against selling any Airtel products".
The Mumbai APMC—wholesale— market remained closed, along with thousands of retail shops across the city, including all chemists and druggists shops. Apna Bazaar, Maharastra’s largest cooperative store also downed its shutters and wholesale markets remained closed in Nasik and Pune.
At an evening event at Shanmukananda Hall in Mumbai mass-based groups laid out a future course of action and adopted a charter of demands. They called on the Center to immediately repeal the Wholesale Cash-n-Carry Permission, and all licenses granted under the permission; repeal the APMC Model Act, implement the National Policy on Street Vendors, take measures against predatory pricing and formulate a national policy on retail trade and small scale industries.
In Bangalore thousands protested at the town hall and burned effigies of corporate retailers like Wal-Mart and Reliance. The protest culminated in leaders presenting the Governor with a memorandum calling on the state to repeal the recent passage of the APMC Model Act. A Charter of Demands, same as was passed in Mumbai, was also placed before the District Collector. Smaller protests were organized throughout the state in different districts including Kodagu, Bijapur, Gulbarga and Davangere districts.
In Jaipur fifty American students joined with hawkers demanding that Wal-Mart leave India and demanding implementation of the National Policy on Street Vendors. The American students and hawkers demonstrated in the old city and held signs saying "Americans Oppose Wal-Mart Everywhere". Ms. Cheryl, an American citizen, learning Hindi at Jaipur said that Wal-Mart has a disastrous impact on small shopkeepers and neighbourhood communities in America and called Indians to learn from their experience and not to allow Wal-Mart to operate in India. Ms. Cheryl said that the world is moving from ‘Corporate to Cooperative’ and Indians should not corporatize their cooperatives.
In Kerala the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Egono Samiti organized protest marches in over 1000 places across the state. In Kalicut over 10,000 traders protested in front of the corporation’s office and submitted a memorandum demanding that corporations keep out of retail and the immediate halt to Wal-Mart’s backdoor entry and the repeal of the Wholesale Cash-N-Carry permission.
In Kolkata the Federation of Trade Organizations (FTO) of West Bengal organized protests in all the 12 districts of the city along with protests across West Bengal, including in front of malls. Tens of thousands traders participated in the protest. In the evening, thousands of hawkers took out a protest march from the city museum.
In Ranchi, Uday Shankar Ojha who led the vegetable vendors before Reliance Fresh in May and has only recently been released from Jail, led thousands of hawkers and vegetable vendors at Albert Ekka Chowk in Ranchi, demanding that Reliance Fresh and all other corporations leave the retail sector and "withdraw their sinister plans to displace millions of livelihoods".
In Bhopal there was a state-level protest meeting in the morning at Gandhi Bhavan and traders sat on a dharna at Roshanara Chowk in the afternoon and burn effigies of Wal-Mart, Bharti and Reliance. A call for Bhopal Bandh was given for 21 August to oust corporate from retail trade.
Similar protests were organized in other cities including Allahabad, Lucknow, Meerut, Bagpat and Sonipat.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Hullabol Agitation in Maharashtra
DEBT TRAPED VIDARBHA FARMERS TO START "HALLABOL AGITATION" FOR FRESH CROP LOAN
NAGPUR - 30MAY 2007 :
SIX VIDARBHA FARM SUICIDES IN DAY ON 29TH OF MAY REPORTED WHEN INDIAN AFTER PRIME MINISTER WAS ADDRESSING FARM DISTRESS ISSUE AT NEW DELHI IN NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL MEET ALONG WITH CHIEF MINISTERS OF FARM SUICIDE EFFECTED STATES TAKING TOLL OF VIDARBHA FARM SUICIDES TO 410 SINCE JANUARY 2007
HAVING FAILED TO GET NO RESPONSE FROM INDIAN GOVT. ON THE CREDIT FRONT THAT'S VIDARBHA COTTON FARMERS DEMANDING FRESH CROP LOAN BY WAIVING OLD PENDING DUES AS MORE THAN 2 MILLION ARE UNDER DEBT TRAP AND BEING DEFAULTER GOVT. BANKS ARE NOT GIVING FRESH CROP LOAN TO THEM FORCING THEM TO TAKE LOAN FROM UNREGULATED PRIVATE MONEY LENDERS WHO CHARGING EXORBITANT 100% TO 150% INTEREST RATE ,FARMER HAVE DECIDED TO START "HALLOBOL AGITAION" BEFORE THE BANKS IN ORDER TO GET FRESH CROP LOAN FROM 18TH JUNE,2007,KISHOR TIWARI OF VIDARBHA JAN ANDOLAN SAMITI INFORMED TODAY.
LAST YEAR INDIAN GOVT. WAIVED OFF OVER DUE INTEREST ON FARMERS BANK DEBT TO THE TUNE OF RS.710 CRORE AND RECONSTRUCTED CROP LOAN AMOUNTING RS.1860 CRORE BRINING AROUND ONE MILLION FARMERS UNDER INSTITUTIONAL CREDIT BUT DUE COTTON CROP FAILURE AND POOR MARKET PRICES FOR THE COTTON MORE THAN 90% FARMERS FAILED TO REPAY THE CROP LOAN. 'MORE THAN 3 MILLION VIDARBHA FARMERS ARE IN HUGE DEBT AND OVER DUE LOAN WAIVER IS THE ONLY SOLUTION TO SAVE THESE DISTRESSED FARMER FROM SUICIDE'KISHOR TIWARI ADDED.
'WHEN GOVT. CAN PAY RS.710 CRORE AS PART OF INTEREST ON UNPAID DEBT THEY PAY FARMERS DEBT TOO' VJAS LEADER DEMANDED.VIDARBHA FARMERS WILL SATRT AGITAION FROM 18TH JUNE-2007 IN ORDER TO PRESS THE MAIN DEMND OF LOAN WAIVER, INFORMED CJAS PRESS REALEASE.
NAGPUR - 30MAY 2007 :
SIX VIDARBHA FARM SUICIDES IN DAY ON 29TH OF MAY REPORTED WHEN INDIAN AFTER PRIME MINISTER WAS ADDRESSING FARM DISTRESS ISSUE AT NEW DELHI IN NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL MEET ALONG WITH CHIEF MINISTERS OF FARM SUICIDE EFFECTED STATES TAKING TOLL OF VIDARBHA FARM SUICIDES TO 410 SINCE JANUARY 2007
HAVING FAILED TO GET NO RESPONSE FROM INDIAN GOVT. ON THE CREDIT FRONT THAT'S VIDARBHA COTTON FARMERS DEMANDING FRESH CROP LOAN BY WAIVING OLD PENDING DUES AS MORE THAN 2 MILLION ARE UNDER DEBT TRAP AND BEING DEFAULTER GOVT. BANKS ARE NOT GIVING FRESH CROP LOAN TO THEM FORCING THEM TO TAKE LOAN FROM UNREGULATED PRIVATE MONEY LENDERS WHO CHARGING EXORBITANT 100% TO 150% INTEREST RATE ,FARMER HAVE DECIDED TO START "HALLOBOL AGITAION" BEFORE THE BANKS IN ORDER TO GET FRESH CROP LOAN FROM 18TH JUNE,2007,KISHOR TIWARI OF VIDARBHA JAN ANDOLAN SAMITI INFORMED TODAY.
LAST YEAR INDIAN GOVT. WAIVED OFF OVER DUE INTEREST ON FARMERS BANK DEBT TO THE TUNE OF RS.710 CRORE AND RECONSTRUCTED CROP LOAN AMOUNTING RS.1860 CRORE BRINING AROUND ONE MILLION FARMERS UNDER INSTITUTIONAL CREDIT BUT DUE COTTON CROP FAILURE AND POOR MARKET PRICES FOR THE COTTON MORE THAN 90% FARMERS FAILED TO REPAY THE CROP LOAN. 'MORE THAN 3 MILLION VIDARBHA FARMERS ARE IN HUGE DEBT AND OVER DUE LOAN WAIVER IS THE ONLY SOLUTION TO SAVE THESE DISTRESSED FARMER FROM SUICIDE'KISHOR TIWARI ADDED.
'WHEN GOVT. CAN PAY RS.710 CRORE AS PART OF INTEREST ON UNPAID DEBT THEY PAY FARMERS DEBT TOO' VJAS LEADER DEMANDED.VIDARBHA FARMERS WILL SATRT AGITAION FROM 18TH JUNE-2007 IN ORDER TO PRESS THE MAIN DEMND OF LOAN WAIVER, INFORMED CJAS PRESS REALEASE.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Alleviating Rural Distress - Consultation Rounds
Dry Cow Therapy, Rural Distress, Indian Economists : New Agriculture Strategy
From Second Green Revolution to Milking the Cow Dry -
The concerned Indian Prime Minister, has been left searching for the right answers from all the agricultural experts, while his own Agriculture Minister ignores the suicides from his home state and manages the strings of the Indian cricket team, a job no doubt he loves more than finding answers to the task entrusted to him as Indian Agriculture Minister - saving farmers from rural distress.
Another case of Humpty Dumpty on the rural front, as Indians get busy with cricket season.
Even the Indian Sensex Minister is now feeling short changed, by the massive imports bills, deposited on his doorsteps, on the food front, which threaten to blow a hole through his economic strategy of industrial development and growth in Services sectors.
Soon after suggesting budgetary support and subsidies for sugar exporters, the Agriculture Minister has gone ahead on a global buying spree for wheat. He just does not seem to like Punjabi and Haryanvi wheat. It is not tasty enough for him or maybe a trifle too full of pesticides for even his liking.
In a bid to wash off the spots on the UPA governments Three Year Achievements, and what even the lacklustre opposition performance by the NDA could not accomplish, is being accomplished in the rural fields of Vidarbha and West Bengal.
Understandably, genuine Congress election strategists are worried.
Let us examine the content of the Prime Minister's concern about Indian rural distress, worded as it is in very general terms and coming on the heels of the three years of crowning achievements of the Central ruling UPA coalition and the electoral losses in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
In his directions to Planning Commission, Finance Minister and Cricket Minister he has pointed out :
1. Poor growth in farm output, at approximately 2%, is the main cause of agrarian and rural distress
2. There is need for focussing on short and medium term strategies for raising farm output
3. Burden of blame must be strategically be shared with states, as according to his understanding, the Central UPa government is having to face too much unnecessary criticism as being the most responsible player in the rural distress drama of Indian politicians and urban economists. The solution to this is seen as rewarding those states which come out with agrarian focussed programmes, agro climatic and local rural growth strategies, with possible budgetary support.
Surprisingly, the music of the old song of ushering in a Second Green Revolution, futures trading in commodities markets, contract farming, agro processing Special Export Zones, seems to have been lost in the wake of Vidarbha and Uttar Pradesh debacles.
He has stated "I would only like to emphasise that whatever strategies we choose to adopt must deliver some results in the short and medium term, so that tangible benefits are visible - to farmers, consumers and the rural economy as a whole.
This is important if we have to avert any crisis in the agrarian sector and fulfil the needs of a growing economy."
All the king's horses and all the kings men, couldn't put Humpty together again ... He directed the Planning Commission to come up with a major programme to enhance central support to those states that prepare localised plans.
This obviously means he is still not prepared to ask his heavy weight Cricket Minister to choose between Cricket, Food Imports or solving Agrarian Distress in his home state of Maharashtra.
The poor Finance Minister is keeping his cards close to his chest and will surely resist tooth and nail, attempts at further central aid to states because he himself knows the dubious record of states in preparing sensitive rural programmes of integrated development, as also knowing that further expansion of agricultural land exploitation is not feasible. Also known as the milking the dry cow therapy.
But the problem is who will be brave enougfh to bell the cat ?
Politics of Indian Farm Suicides - http://farmsuicides.blogspot.com/
From Second Green Revolution to Milking the Cow Dry -
The concerned Indian Prime Minister, has been left searching for the right answers from all the agricultural experts, while his own Agriculture Minister ignores the suicides from his home state and manages the strings of the Indian cricket team, a job no doubt he loves more than finding answers to the task entrusted to him as Indian Agriculture Minister - saving farmers from rural distress.
Another case of Humpty Dumpty on the rural front, as Indians get busy with cricket season.
Even the Indian Sensex Minister is now feeling short changed, by the massive imports bills, deposited on his doorsteps, on the food front, which threaten to blow a hole through his economic strategy of industrial development and growth in Services sectors.
Soon after suggesting budgetary support and subsidies for sugar exporters, the Agriculture Minister has gone ahead on a global buying spree for wheat. He just does not seem to like Punjabi and Haryanvi wheat. It is not tasty enough for him or maybe a trifle too full of pesticides for even his liking.
In a bid to wash off the spots on the UPA governments Three Year Achievements, and what even the lacklustre opposition performance by the NDA could not accomplish, is being accomplished in the rural fields of Vidarbha and West Bengal.
Understandably, genuine Congress election strategists are worried.
Let us examine the content of the Prime Minister's concern about Indian rural distress, worded as it is in very general terms and coming on the heels of the three years of crowning achievements of the Central ruling UPA coalition and the electoral losses in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
In his directions to Planning Commission, Finance Minister and Cricket Minister he has pointed out :
1. Poor growth in farm output, at approximately 2%, is the main cause of agrarian and rural distress
2. There is need for focussing on short and medium term strategies for raising farm output
3. Burden of blame must be strategically be shared with states, as according to his understanding, the Central UPa government is having to face too much unnecessary criticism as being the most responsible player in the rural distress drama of Indian politicians and urban economists. The solution to this is seen as rewarding those states which come out with agrarian focussed programmes, agro climatic and local rural growth strategies, with possible budgetary support.
Surprisingly, the music of the old song of ushering in a Second Green Revolution, futures trading in commodities markets, contract farming, agro processing Special Export Zones, seems to have been lost in the wake of Vidarbha and Uttar Pradesh debacles.
He has stated "I would only like to emphasise that whatever strategies we choose to adopt must deliver some results in the short and medium term, so that tangible benefits are visible - to farmers, consumers and the rural economy as a whole.
This is important if we have to avert any crisis in the agrarian sector and fulfil the needs of a growing economy."
All the king's horses and all the kings men, couldn't put Humpty together again ... He directed the Planning Commission to come up with a major programme to enhance central support to those states that prepare localised plans.
This obviously means he is still not prepared to ask his heavy weight Cricket Minister to choose between Cricket, Food Imports or solving Agrarian Distress in his home state of Maharashtra.
The poor Finance Minister is keeping his cards close to his chest and will surely resist tooth and nail, attempts at further central aid to states because he himself knows the dubious record of states in preparing sensitive rural programmes of integrated development, as also knowing that further expansion of agricultural land exploitation is not feasible. Also known as the milking the dry cow therapy.
But the problem is who will be brave enougfh to bell the cat ?
Politics of Indian Farm Suicides - http://farmsuicides.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
New Farm Strategy - Tale of Three Economists
Food Policy Group – http://www.groups.google.com/group/foodpolicy
Buniyad Group - http://www.groups.google.com/group/buniyad
Dear Devinder,
1. I saw your interview on DoorDarshan regarding the New Thrust to Agricultural Policy and Prime Minister directives to Planning Commission for next 5 Year Plan.
2. I was happy to note that the rhetoric of Second Green Revolution was not being bandied about even though the suggestions of pushing ball into the court of states was seemingly indicative of the humility of the Emperor’s courtiers, in the face of twin failures of presiding over agrarian crisis and falling production levels.
But what essentially are the details of this new strategy ?
And what role is Sharad Pawar playing in all this ?
This needs to be closely followed.
Humpty Dumpty Sat on the Wall and all the Kings Horses and all the King’s Men ----- couldn’t put Humpty together again.
3. The focus now seems to be on empty agricultural productivity targets and how falling agricultural production is seen as a gaping hole in the Strategies of the Urban Economists like Montek Singh Ahluwahlia and Chidambaram.
So who will do the farming, mahila kisans ? The Left was conspicuously silent. They have no role to play ?
I think time is ripe for building political networks of youth leadership, who can take on such facile arguments.
4. No mention was made of separating Food Ministry from Agriculture Ministry, much as I would like to see this development. In my opinion this is essential.
http://foodminister.blogspot.com/
I would also like to see the concept of a separate Kisan Budget taking shape. - http://www.kisanbudget.blogspot.com/
5. I was also extremely disappointed to see the quality of arguments of Chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices Prof T. Haque.
Was this luminary really serious about propagating the theory of interlinking of national rivers and canals ?
Such patently absurd theoreticians are in charge of agricultural research, extension and praxis ? Six Blind Men of Hindoostan ….
No wonder Americans are being invited to reinvent Indian agriculture.
Just a few comments !!
Nagarjuna
Editor - IFP
Indian Food Policy
Web : www.foodpolicy.in
Articles, Analysis : http://www.foodpolicy.in/html/blogs/blogs.htm
WFP - www.worldfoodpolicy.org
Reports - http://www.worldfoodpolicy.org/html/reports/reports.htm
Prescriptions for Indian Farmers - http://merakisan.blogspot.com/
Unpatented Brilliant Ideas - http://nopatent.blogspot.com/
Mahila Kisan - http://mahilakisan.blogspot.com/
Kisan Mantri - http://kisanmantri.blogspot.com/
Buniyad Group - http://www.groups.google.com/group/buniyad
Dear Devinder,
1. I saw your interview on DoorDarshan regarding the New Thrust to Agricultural Policy and Prime Minister directives to Planning Commission for next 5 Year Plan.
2. I was happy to note that the rhetoric of Second Green Revolution was not being bandied about even though the suggestions of pushing ball into the court of states was seemingly indicative of the humility of the Emperor’s courtiers, in the face of twin failures of presiding over agrarian crisis and falling production levels.
But what essentially are the details of this new strategy ?
And what role is Sharad Pawar playing in all this ?
This needs to be closely followed.
Humpty Dumpty Sat on the Wall and all the Kings Horses and all the King’s Men ----- couldn’t put Humpty together again.
3. The focus now seems to be on empty agricultural productivity targets and how falling agricultural production is seen as a gaping hole in the Strategies of the Urban Economists like Montek Singh Ahluwahlia and Chidambaram.
So who will do the farming, mahila kisans ? The Left was conspicuously silent. They have no role to play ?
I think time is ripe for building political networks of youth leadership, who can take on such facile arguments.
4. No mention was made of separating Food Ministry from Agriculture Ministry, much as I would like to see this development. In my opinion this is essential.
http://foodminister.blogspot.com/
I would also like to see the concept of a separate Kisan Budget taking shape. - http://www.kisanbudget.blogspot.com/
5. I was also extremely disappointed to see the quality of arguments of Chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices Prof T. Haque.
Was this luminary really serious about propagating the theory of interlinking of national rivers and canals ?
Such patently absurd theoreticians are in charge of agricultural research, extension and praxis ? Six Blind Men of Hindoostan ….
No wonder Americans are being invited to reinvent Indian agriculture.
Just a few comments !!
Nagarjuna
Editor - IFP
Indian Food Policy
Web : www.foodpolicy.in
Articles, Analysis : http://www.foodpolicy.in/html/blogs/blogs.htm
WFP - www.worldfoodpolicy.org
Reports - http://www.worldfoodpolicy.org/html/reports/reports.htm
Prescriptions for Indian Farmers - http://merakisan.blogspot.com/
Unpatented Brilliant Ideas - http://nopatent.blogspot.com/
Mahila Kisan - http://mahilakisan.blogspot.com/
Kisan Mantri - http://kisanmantri.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)