The Maharashtra government is making efforts to address the concerns of the farmers that have gone on strike. The government is planning to offer loan waiver to them. Farmers had gone on strike on few days back in support of their demands that include waiving of loans on account of crop failure, guaranteed minimum support price. They also demanded the implementation of Swaminathan Committee report and cancellation of the proposed Mumbai-Nagpur ‘Samruddhi’ expressway. Supply of food and vegetables was affected in the city and other regions of the state. Even trucks carrying vegetables and other commodities were vandalised by protestors. They didn’t allow the vehicles carrying commodities to reach the city. Many farmers had halted the vehicles at highways to prevent their entry into the metropolis. Several containers of milk were emptied on roads. Shiv Sena came forward to support farmers and also participated in the bandh.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held Congress-NCP responsible for the protest of farmers. He said that opposition parties had stage managed the protest for deriving political mileage. Seventy percent of farmers demands have been accepted by the chief minister and he gave an assurance to them that a committee will be formed to address their grievances. Fadnavis also assured that loans of small land-owning farmers will be waived off by the state government by October 31. The government agreed to waive off penalty and interest on power dues.
Fifty years back farmers were not under so much pressure due to lack of television and mobile phones. During those period people’s needs were very few. The farmer needs moral and logistical support. Cooperative farming has not been successful because of emotional attachment of villager with his land and cattle. Something similar can be achieved if the villages are adopted by film stars and industrialists.
The district level authorities, the agricultural colleges, the corporates, the film stars must adopt villages so that they become self-reliant. MPs and MLAs visit villages for seeking votes but don’t work after getting elected. Exhaust fans, table fans, small electric motors, pumps, hand pumps, clothing, jams and pickles etc, must be manufactured in the villages to revive rural economy. More employment opportunities must be created in rural areas to prevent the migration of people from there to cities. The salary packages drawn by top bank executives, heads of corporate houses must be reduced. The take home pay of top officers and managers must not be more than four lakh per month.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)