Fula had no words to defend herself. She was shattered into pieces. There was a spontaneous flow of tears from her eyes —they reached her nostrils, lips and chin. She thought that life saves the cruellest for the poor.
July 1, 2019In this e-mail interview to Deepak Razdan, he answers questions on rural distress, and the policy rejig he thinks can bring relief to farmers.
December 22, 2018"Wherever they have a government, people have been murdered in thousands, a number of unemployed has shot up," she said.
September 26, 2018Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath on Monday said that the country was passing through a challenging phase under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the country was faced with farmers’ suicides. The Congress leader was speaking at a function held here to pay tribute to late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 27th death anniversary. …
Continue reading "‘Modi time’ is time of farmers’ suicides: Kamal Nath"
May 22, 2018Mehboob Khan, who produced and directed the immortal classic Mother India (1957) would perhaps have been shocked at the present situation of the peasant population in India 60 years after the film was released. Behind the glamour and the chutzpah of the packaging and a rather melodramatic storyline when read in retrospect, Mother India had …
Continue reading "60 years on, Mother India grapples with same woes"
November 12, 2017A 38-year-old debt-ridden physically challenged farmer has allegedly committed suicide at a village in Krishna district, police said today. P Narayana Rao killed himself by consuming pesticide yesterday at his agriculture field in North Siruvolulunka village of Mopidevi mandal, nearly 25 km from here, as he was distraught over crop loss, Avanigadda police station …
Continue reading "Andra Pradesh: Physically challenged farmer ends life"
September 23, 2017Punjab’s Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his government of fudging figures on the growing number of suicides by debt-ridden farmers in the state. Questioning farmer suicide data disclosed by the Chief Minister in the present Congress government rule so far (March-September 2017), he said that he …
Continue reading "Amarinder fudging data on farmer suicides: AAP"
September 19, 2017The country needs farmers as much as it needs industrialists but under the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, farmers’ suicides have increased in the country, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi said here on Friday. “In the past three years, 9,000 farmers ended their lives in Maharashtra… India’s farmers have been under attack all …
Continue reading "Farmers’ suicides rose under BJP rule: Rahul Gandhi"
September 8, 2017The slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan holds resonance for the spirit of those who secure us along the borders and those who provide us food. But over the years, our ‘kisanconsciousness’ just seems to have vanished into thin air, leaving millions of our farmers struggling for a basic livelihood. We appear to have consistently evaded …
Continue reading "India must protect its food-givers"
August 8, 2017Many-sided distress of farmers has led to intense movements of farmers in recent months. In the course of these movements important issues were raised and several demands of farmers were highlighted. Some issues got a lot of attention, while other equally or perhaps more important problems did not get the necessary attention. The issue of …
Continue reading "Gandhian prescription tackles farm distress"
July 20, 2017The spate of farmer suicides in Madhya Pradesh continues unabated. Three farmers committed suicide in the last two days under pressure from banks and moneylenders, taking the number of farmer deaths to 45 in 28 days. A debt-ridden farmer on Sunday killed himself by jumping in front of a train in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district. …
Continue reading "Three more farmers commit suicide in Madhya Pradesh"
July 9, 2017Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana KP Singh on Friday constituted a Committee to review and prepare a report on farmers suicide in Punjab. An official spokesperson said that the Committee has been constituted in compliance of the resolution put forward by Punjab chief minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh during the second Assembly session held on 19 …
Continue reading "Rana KP forms committee to review farmers suicides"
July 7, 2017The Punjab government will bear the liability of the outstanding loans of over 7,000 farmers in the agrarian state who have committed suicide in recent years, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Tuesday. "There are over 7,000 cases of suicides, including over 6,000 suicides during the tenure of the previous government," he said while addressing …
Continue reading "Punjab to bear liability of farmers who committed suicide"
July 4, 2017Two more farmers committed suicide on Thursday reportedly due to debt in Madhya Pradesh, taking the total number of such farmer deaths to 31 in over a fortnight. Mariya Barela, 50, committed suicide by hanging himself in his farm in Imli Kheda under the limits of Bilkisganj Police Station in Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's …
Continue reading "Two more MP farmers commit suicide"
June 29, 2017Five farmers committed suicide in different parts of Madhya Pradesh reportedly due to debt and other problems since Sunday evening, taking the total number of such farmer deaths to 27 in over a fortnight. Ghisiya Khan, 70, committed suicide by hanging himself in the well in his farm in Harsud in Khandwa district. The farmer's …
Continue reading "Five farmers commit suicide in MP"
June 27, 2017Recent UN reports project that by 2050, global population will rise from the current total of 7 billion to about 9 billion. It means that another one billion tonnes of cereals and 200 million extra tonnes of livestock products will be necessary annually to meet the growing demand. The imperative for such tremendous agricultural boost …
Continue reading "No quick-fixes again to farmer unrest, please"
June 26, 2017A 57-year-old Kerala farmer has committed suicide in a village near here after revenue officials refused to accept his land tax. The government has ordered a probe into the incident. K.P. Joy hanged himself to death at the Chembanodu village revenue office after the officials refused to accept his payments despite several attempts. Joy was …
Continue reading "Kerala farmer commits suicide"
June 22, 2017