Atul Kumar Anjan for BeyondHeadlines
In recent times, the Government of India has taken some measures regarding agriculture and agricultural produce which will negatively impact farmers and consumers. Enforcing new agricultural policies is resulting into further increase in worst agricultural crisis. The prices of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides have increased many folds. The prices of petroleum products are also going up due to de-controlled policy. Now the government also wants to de-control diesel price. Due to all these policies the input cost in agriculture sector has gone up too high and in absence of remunerative prices for agriculture produce, the agriculture has become a non profitable sector.
The newly formed National Water Policy of the central government will pave the way to earn heavy profit by corporate sector from common man and later the rural population will also be effected by these policies. The water for irrigation for agriculture purpose will become very costly. The government is planning to de-control sugar industry. If this happens then the corporate sector involved in sugar industry will earn huge profits. The private and cooperative sector sugar mills have to pay more than 11,000 crores to the farmers who are waiting for a long time.
The climate change is adversely affecting the crops and due to this the losses has become a serious issue for the farming community. I has been observed in the last ten years that the droughts and floods are taking places every alternate year – ruining the crops and livestock. Recently, Neelam Thunder storm destroyed crops in 15 lacks hectare of the land, and more than two and half lacks animals lost their life. It is unfortunate that the center and state governments do not have a long term plan to tackle drought and flood. Even the National Disaster Management Committee does not have an effective plan to deal such important problem.
The farmers community has organized nationwide struggle against forcible land acquisition in the last few years but the problem has not been addressed. The Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Bill and Seed Bill is still pending before the parliament and different parliamentary standing committees. Farmers’ land has being taken over by real estate, middle man at the throw away prices in connivance with bureaucracy. The mineral deposits and the water from rivers are being looted by corporate houses. The tribals are being denied their forest rights. There is growing unrest in the rural India. The central and state governments must take serious steps on these issues and formulate the policies for farmers and rural people, otherwise there will be a serious turmoil which may have cascading effect on governments and the society.
(Author is the General Secretary of CPI)
